Memoirs of a Modern Adventurer
by ErnestTBass
Summary: The original has so much potential if it was written with at least a little sanity, so I gave it my best shot while also trying my hardest not to self-insert. I try to stick to the lore as much as I can, while adding some other stuff. This is a lot slower than most other stories in this genre. It's also the first draft, and subject to editing and retconning.
1. Tower Ambush

Memoirs

I decided to write this because many people have asked me about my origins and how I got to where I am now. There's a lot of speculation and rumors out there, so I figured I'd tell the story before fiction got so widespread it'd be impossible to prove wrong. I'll tell it as it is, whether it's believed or not. After a lot of time and effort, I've also taught the people involved to read, write, and type(Those who wanted to, anyway), so their accounts will be in here, too! As my daughter is trying her best to heat a piece of rebar on the hearth to make it turn red, I write this as best as I can remember.

It started very humbly, as most stories do. I was young, healthy, and recently left the house. However, I wasn't in great shape mentally. I had recently gotten out of a bad relationship. On my way out, my ex decided to throw some accusations my way; accusations strong enough to warrant legal action. The battle was very stressful on my whole family and I won't go into detail because they're bad memories that are far behind me. Fortunately, we won, because obviously the bitch was lying. However, the emotional damage had been done and I made a major career choice. I said farewell to my family and joined the forest service to collect myself. Then, I found an opening for the perfect job to it: A fire tower lookout. A few months by myself would be exactly what I needed.

Granted, I wouldn't be totally alone. There'd be other towers nearby. I could bring whatever I could fit on the ATV. Mostly books. Lots of books. I also put a double barrel shotgun in because, while I highly respect .308, I wanted something with more of a guarantee to kill a bear. The baseball bat and some balls were in case I met hikers who wanted to play a game. I heard my tower was near one of the longer trails.

After going through training, I drove to the tower on an ATV. It looked nice and I saw it was elevated ten feet on a large rock formation rather than sixty standing alone. I unpacked, got settled in, and nothing much happened for two weeks. The Wyoming forests were very tranquil.

I wasn't completely alone. There were three other towers in radio contact, two of which I could see with the tripod telescope. First tower was Leonard, who introduced himself as a Texas good ol' boy trying to get away from his "assholes of biological parents". He said he preferred to see the faces of his new friends and stood on the porch of his tower in nothing but his boxers, insisting that I look at him with the telescope. That man was blindlingly white. He was so white in the afternoon sun that he practically glowed. I asked him if he ever tanned and he said he just burned.

Tower number three was a black man by the name of Louis. Pronounced Loo-eese. I took a peek at him with the scope as well. He was like the opposite of Leonard, so black he was purple. Louis said very early on he was also here to get away from a bad breakup with his partner. He consistently used the word "partner." I told him I related.

Tower four remained a mystery. It was a woman who sounded young, but smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. She said the bare minimum for a conversation. That was about it. Again, two weeks went by without event until I had a dream I remember to this day.

It was very vivid. I'd never been this aware before in a dream, but it was entirely black. I was sitting down, but moving very quickly. The experience was like closing your eyes in a rapidly accelerating car. Then, I heard a woman's voice coming from everywhere.

"Sir, we've got another one. Another character."

Then a man's voice: "Great. Isekai character number eight thousand, six hundred and fifty… I wanna say seven?"

"Three."

"Like it matters. I'm sick of humanity churning out power fantasy fapbait stories. It's beyond boring."

"Well, not like we have much of a choice. He's another 'average guy'".

"I knew it. One day they're gonna channel their psyche so much they'll rip a hole in reality. Where's he headed?"

"World ID: six-five-two."

"Ugh. Another gallon of diesel for the rape train. I take back what I said about the power fantasy. You'd think they'd care about their own, but I know they get off to it."

There was a long pause and then the man spoke again. "You know what? No. I'm sick of this shit and I'll give them what they truly want. They just don't know they do. Hand me the terminal for a second."

"But sir, we have to do what they say."

"Says who? Them? I'll give him a power and a place to be, all right. I'll give him the power to knock some sense into this adolescent circlejerk. Let's send him right back to where he came from."

"With respect, do you know what you're doing? What are you trying to do?"

"I want something I can witness and be able to say 'that's the good shit right there' and not feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. If I have to be kicked back to janitor duty to do it, so be it. Hey, what's that yellow light?"

"Oh."

"The divine intercom's been on all this time. Wake him up before we spill anything else. I'm going to take my lunch."

It was then that I woke up and everything went to shit.

Well, not immediately. It was subtle, similar to a cheap horror movie. First, Leonard said he noticed an unusual amount of fauna moving about in the trees in the morning. I said, since it was fall, maybe they were migrating. He accepted this for now. The next notable thing was tower four reporting the sighting of a "weird-ass bear humping a tree". Obviously, she had slept through all of the nature classes. We laughed, but immediately after we got a very vague call from station telling us to be on the lookout for "unusual behavior of wildlife". We were curious and a bit concerned, but that was nothing compared to the night.

It was a waxing moon, and had been a new one only a few nights before. It was very dark, however the stars were beautiful. So much so that it tempted Louis to come outside with his scope and have a look at them. Nothing happened for a few hours, but then he said he had sighted a very large bird. I asked him," A bird? At this time of night?" He confirmed, but it looked weird. He said it was missing the back half and it had two things dangling under it. It also had a very large head. There was a pause, and then he said, "Oh crap, those are legs." I responded with, "What?" He wheezed,"It's carrying a pair of legs." Again, I said. "What?" He drew breath and said, "It looks like a bird with a hairy head, missing it's back half, and carrying a pair of human legs." I paused and considered where the other half of the human was. Louis said, "Wait, it was circling, but now it's changing course to this way." A few seconds later he added, "I can hear something now. It's…" For the third time in a row, I asked, "What?" Very shakily, Louis continued, "It's singing."

I didn't respond. I couldn't think to. This situation defied every piece of knowledge and experience I had. I had no idea what was going on, what Louis was looking at, or what kind of danger he was in. I had nothing. Neither did he, so he decided to get his spotlight and see what it was, now that it was closing. Then he started screaming bloody murder and dropped his radio. He had left it on push to talk, so that was the end of it. I did warn the other towers, responses were mixed. Leonard wanted to know what the hell I was talking about. Tower four's call was just heavy breathing. It sounded like she was doing some kind of workout, but then there was a wet squelch and there was nothing more from that frequency. Leonard listened to that, tried to get up with Louis with no luck, and then started cursing like a madman. He said there was something running up the stairs of his tower and said he needed to be quiet for a bit. I never heard him talk again.

The outlook was bleak. Louis was down. Tower four was… I don't know what she was, but she wasn't talking. Leonard was on guard, so he'd probably be okay. I realized I needed to worry about myself, too. Ignoring both of the firearms at my disposal, I picked up the metal bat and began paying attention to my surroundings. I noticed out the window that there was another shape in the sky blotting out the stars headed towards me. In the greatest act of dumbassery ever recorded, I opened the door, walked outside, and let it shut behind me. This trait is probably genetic, since my entire family's reaction to a tornado is to step outside and see. That might explain how great-grandad died in one. The shape got closer, until I started to think this was a very poor decision. That was when I saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes and another pair of green, scaly claws shot out of the darkness.

I didn't really think much, I just reacted and swung the bat as hard as my adrenaline and terror-infused muscles could manage. I missed the first appendage entirely, but I did connect with the next one at the joint. There was a little give, followed by too much, and a nauseating, wet crunching noise. The damage was done. However, inertia is a thing, so the attacking beast continued on its course. The other limb (now confirmed to be a leg) hit my right shoulder and slammed me against the door. It didn't break, but the wood crunched and most of the glass broke. My head also smacked against the door and I want to confirm that the cartoons are absolutely correct. I saw stars and heard songbirds. I also saw a green blur over my head also collide with the door. The body in between hit me in the face with a surprising mix of softness and armored scale. Both parties reeled and distanced themselves from each other.

Still dazed from the blow, my vision was greatly blurred. The light from the inside illuminated my attacker. It was some kind of quadrupedal, winged, reptilian thing. A mix of green and flesh color, but the yellow eyes still shone with hatred. The monster let out a roar and there was this yellow glow from where it's mouth should be. Suddenly, a cone of fire erupted out of it and I briefly lost sight of anything below my knees. I was stunned by this, so the monster took the initiative and tried to push itself forward on one leg. Fortunately, the shock had worn off and the other broken leg was informing it's owner just how bad the injury was. The monster immediately dropped to the ground, but tried to push itself up.

I'll be honest, I didn't do much around this time. My vision had come back, but my pants were also on fire and I immediately began smacking them. The monster attempted to charge it's breath weapon again, but there was this retching noise, followed by it puking all over the deck. Keep in mind, it was still trying to breathe fire, but it wasn't working so well. The only thing it managed to do was cook the deck. Vomit is awful, but baked vomit is another nasal assault entirely. I staggered.

My vision came back enough to realize that the thing in front of me was undoubtedly reptilian, but also humanoid and unmistakably female.

After putting out my blackened pants, I pushed the bat down on the neck of the monster and kept her down on the deck. Admittedly, I didn't think that I was pushing her face against the vomit on the floor. That would explain her burning a hole through the floor. I apologized later. I asked her some pointed questions, but she seemed only focused on growling and sucking in air every time she attempted to move. I didn't know if she could speak, so I used the time-tested strategy of understanding by speaking my language, just slower. Worked perfectly. "Are you going to keep trying to kill me?" There was a pause, then she stopped moving. I slowly removed the bat and said, "Shut up and hold still while I get something"

Gauze was in the medkit inside and I grabbed the pole used to hold one of the windows that kept sliding down. Honestly, I did the whole thing as muscle memory because of first aid training I received in case a hiker got hurt. I also got some pain pills from the kit and walked back to the deck. As I started aid, I asked, "So, do you talk?"

There was a pause, and then she said "Yes." I noticed a few things: First, being near her face was like staring into a toaster oven. Every time she spoke, it was like I was checking if the food was done. Second, she had a very haughty accent, like she had spent her entire life living on family money or something. "Good. Then take these." I handed her three pills.

She looked at them, perplexed. "And do exactly what with them?" I forgot she didn't know and said to eat them. She threw them into her mouth and immediately crunched on them. Her face immediately soured. "Human alchemy continues to be disgusting." I didn't want to tell her she wasn't supposed to do that, but whatever. It was in her system, so it would probably be fine.

I tried to salvage the conversation. "You got a name?" I had just finished the splint and she rolled around and sat with her legs out. I got a good look at her. Her torso and head were human(with the exception of the horns and ears), but everything else was reptilian. Her arms and legs were disproportionately large, but she handled them as well as I used mine. A pair of large wings extended out of her back. My headache proved that they could easily carry her. Unlike a human, her pupils were slits and not circular. To top it all off, she was fairly attractive. I thought that at the time, but ignored those thoughts. I was done with women for the time, and would take some time to emotionally heal, but don't worry! As the introduction proves, I wasn't jaded forever.

"Of course I have a name, but I will not give it to a human unless you say yours first." The narcissism was strong with this one. "Fine. I'll give you the courtesy. Name's Richard." She considered this. "That sounds like a fairly worthy name. Mine is Autriel." I noted, "Fairly angelic." She took some surprise and small pride that I knew. "Why yes, when I was born, the sun happened to break out of the clouds and illuminated me, and so my mother came up with the name." That was very cute, so I said, "Aww. That's nice. Anyway, you got a hobby of flying up and attacking people? I had heard stories of monsters living in the woods, but I always thought of something covered with fur."

"Firstly, I am not 'some monster'. I am a dragon, the highest form of reptile and one of the highest of the entire monster kingdom. I pity your sheltered life, but it seems your parents have not told you of the obvious danger of monsters. How you have not learned already is astoundingly lucky."

"What do you mean? Very few people believe monsters even exist. At best, it's all just legends and none of them make you out to be… as reasonable."

I was going to say "attractive", but stopped myself.

"We are usually… not. In fact, we never are around men. However, that's not unexpected. It may be this new land. That would explain your strange mannerisms and living quarters."

"How's this weird? How'd you get here?"

"While I'm not very aware of the tools man uses to make of for its inadequacies outside of combat, I cannot identify even a third of the items in this room. As for how I got here, I was quite simply flying along, looking for something to eat, when the trees shimmered and changed. I spotted a tower, curiously flew over, saw you, and you know the rest."

"So I take it you're not from here."

"No, I am not. Truth be told, I have no idea where I am." She paused for a second. It seems that now the tension had passed, she was starting to realize the situation. "I don't know where anything is. My other kin, my hoard. These aren't even my mountains."

Oh right, I remembered from fantasy books I read that dragons had hoards of glittery things. "I'm sorry you lost your collection. You must've been working for a long time."

"My life's work so far." She stared out blankly.

"Well, what about your home?"

She responded as if reciting something. "The hoard is home. A home is simply a place for the hoard."

That spoke volumes. I had a great diplomatic idea. I got up and went over to the table the fire finder was on and grabbed something. "I think a home is more than that, but here. Take this."

"What is it?"

"Peace offering. It's a chunk of rose quartz I found near the tower and I thought it looked cool. I collect shiny rocks, but I couldn't bring my collection." I put it in Autriel's claw and continued, "Since you've lost your hoard, I figured this could be the first piece of your new one." After I said this, I swear the temperature of the entire room raised a few degrees, but it was probably my imagination.

After a bit of silence, I asked if there were more monsters about. Autriel answered yes. I asked how many and she said they were numberless. That didn't help my mood at all. The scent of a dragon was probably the only thing keeping the others from charging the tower, raping me within a inch of my life, and probably tearing my legs off(Best case scenario). I pointed out that the mess on the deck was pretty pungent enough to drive anyone back. Autriel answered yes, the more civilized ones would think twice, however that wasn't a guarantee. Once her condition is made known, the clout of killing a dragon among the rest would be great. To also die hoardless would be a great shame.

"All right, fine. Let's discourage them some more." I went for the shotgun, put shells in the breech, and started for the door. Autriel asked, "What is that?"

"It's a gun. Do you know how it works?"

"That I do not."

"Okay, have humans ever used slings against you?"

Autriel smugly stated, "Yes they have. However, they have yet to pierce my hide."

"Do you know how fast sound travels?"

"I have an idea. It's the fastest thing known."

"Great. Imagine a slingshot bullet going faster than that. It's also very loud. I'll be back."

"But, that's impossible. Nothing is faster than sound itself."

"We used to think that. I'll be right back." I grabbed a headlight and walked back onto the deck. Ending the conversation there was moot since the glass on the door was broken. I went to the staircase and shone the light down. I immediately panicked. There was some sort of monster with a black, shiny exoskeleton and more than four legs standing there at the base of the stairs. As soon as it saw me, it made this clacking noise. I'll admit, I didn't get a good look at it, but I should also mention I suffer from arachnophobia. I mean, I don't positively know if it was a spider or not, but did I really want to give the potential ginantic arachnid time to react? Nope. I raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

I certainly wounded it, because it started making this combination of shrieking and clicking noises. The sound of the shot annihilated the silence of the night and the flash briefly lit up the scene. Whatever it was scuttled off quickly into the brush. I retreated back to the door.

Autriel was holding her ears. "That was deafening! You would use such a weapon?"

"Yeah, don't worry. My ears are ringing too. It's better than the metal stick."

"But you can simply flex your finger and kill anything! On a whim!"

I ejected the shells. "So? It's not like I have much of a choice."

"But that's not how it works! This is not how events are supposed to pass! It can't end faster than I can blink! We are… I was supposed to…"

"What? Supposed to what? You told me exactly what's going to happen to me when I can't fight anymore. They're nervous now, but as soon as they figure out that I've got to fall asleep eventually, they'll bum rush this place and you know neither of us are going to survive. You think I'm going to just lie on the floor and wait for them to come? Mark my words, the next shot is going to be a hell of a lot better aimed."

Autriel spoke in a frustrated voice, "So, what do you propose we do?"

"How about this? I need a guide since there's a wide variety of these things out there and you seem to know their behavior well. Also, your scent will drive them away. The sun will rise in a few hours. In exchange for dressing your leg and some breakfast, you'll accompany me on the path back to the nearest town, helping me as best you can. We can discuss what happens after."

Autriel considered and then said, "I accept your terms of parlay."

"How's the leg?"

"It pains me greatly, but I will be back to normal in a few days. We reptilians regenerate quickly."

"I'm envious."

"Of course. Also, I would ask if you didn't refer to it as 'my scent' and moreof 'my presence'."

The next few hours were mostly quiet. I turned off the lights, so nothing could see the inside of the tower. It was already dark, but got progressively darker as the hours continued. I tried to get some rest on the cot without actually falling asleep. Autriel got up at some point and sat on top of the table with the firefinder. The moonlight highlighted her lavender hair and I wondered why it was that color. My first thought was dye, but purple was a pretty hard color to come by in the technology of the place she probably came from. To be honest, I felt a little guilty of shooting the insectoid thing at the base of the stairs. It seemed to have greatly disturbed Autriel. I thought of that for a little while I saw her in the corner of my eye, looking out the window.

That went on for some time until the moon disappeared behind the trees and it got really dark. All I could see was one of Autriel's eyes. Immediately after darkness fell, that one eye slowly became two, and I could faintly hear the sound of scales shifting on the wooden table. She didn't move from where she was, just rotated. Those unnerving eyes were looking right at me, yet not moving an inch. I knew that feline and canine eyes were different and reflected back light, but there must be some kind of minor bioluminescence at work here, because nothing outside of bugs and some fish does that.

At least I didn't have to worry about accidentally falling asleep with the creeping sense of being watched by something I had already wounded once. I didn't dare look her direction and tried to maintain steady breathing. Probably futile, but I'm sure she could smell fear and I'd do my best to give off signals of calm.

**It was futile. Though, I must commend your willpower.**

Quit putting stuff in between. Your part is coming up soon, I promise.

This went on until sunrise. It got to the point where I became relatively relaxed. She didn't do anything except look, so I gradually went from panicked to mildly disturbed. When I could see myself on the bed, I got up. Autriel pretended to lay down and ended up breaking one of the sights of the fire finder. As I walked over to a cabinet and rummaged, I asked, "Do you sleep facedown or on the side? I'm guessing you don't sleep on your back because of the tail." Autriel answered, "On the side. However, I did find a hammock one time on the outskirts of a human hamlet, sliced a hole where my tail would be, and took a nap. I slept very well, but my snoring was loud enough to attract some human guards." I snorted with my head halfway inside the cabinet. "Do not laugh. It is a very niche condition that has only occurred when I sleep on my back, and as you know, I cannot." Changing the subject, I asked, "What do you like for breakfast?"

Autriel quickly said, "Veal is one of my personal favorites, however, boar is also good during cool morns such as this." I chuckled, considering the inventory and place of the lookout tower. This is the perfect place for preparing some haute cuisine! I guess she expected me to set up a fire pit with a spit above it and go kill a boar myself. "We got pork sausages. I was going to have them as a treat, but since we can't stay here, might as well eat them now."

I had piqued the dragon's interest. "Sausages? They are pig meat you say? Are they similar to salted pork?" I grabbed two packages, along with two cans of peaches because I'm a healthy boy who eats his fruits, except pears. I hate pears. "Yeah. Take pig intestine, chop into pieces, fill those pieces full of pig meat, tie off filled intestine pieces, and then cook." I slapped the packages on the countertop. Describing this process usually makes people pucker their lips and ask me why I made them think about it. I only do it because the devilish side of me enjoys using people's own imagination against them.

This had the opposite effect against Autriel. She attempted to hide her excitement, but it was given away curls of smoke coming out of her nostrils. I assumed this was a good thing and turned the burner knob. I waited a few seconds, but the coils didn't turn red. I put my hand over it and it was cold. "Oh no. Don't tell me." I went over to the HAM radio and tried to turn it on. Nothing happened. "Agh, dammit. Power's out." Autriel chuckled on the table.

"Ah humans, without artifice, what are you?" Mockery was not helping. I turned my head and retorted, "Sausageless unless we think of something." Autriel got off the table and hobbled over to where I was. "I suppose this can become a joint venture. I should have expected the fragility of your conveniences." I got a griddle and a can of non-stick spray. "Shut it, smug dragon, or I'll spray this stuff right in your mouth." The inside of her mouth began glowing and I felt heat. "Try it human." There was a brief pause and then I reconsidered. "Actually no, that might kill us both." Autriel was confused. "How?" I answered bluntly, "Aerosol. This explodes."

Autriel was shocked, "And you keep such a thing in the cooking area?" I flatly said yes and for the both of us to get on with it. I had an idea and told her to head out onto the deck with me. I got a fork and handed her one. She was very curious about my plan. We both sat down and I asked if she could just blow a moderate, but continuous flame. She said of course, it would be as easy as breathing.

And so there we sat on the deck, roasting sausages and watching the sun rise. I gave her a fork, so she could cook her own and I just held mine over her fire. "Honestly, I was going to hand you a pack of the raw ones while I ate the other." Autriel seemed minorly offended, "While I am not a dainty eater, I do prefer my food cooked, but occasionally like the texture of raw. It depends on my mood." The conversation here was a nice contrast of the lingering thought of countless eyes watching us for a sign of weakness. For the moment, I was enjoying myself.

Autriel chewed on the last sausage and asked me, "I'm one to hope the clever human has a plan to get down the mountain without getting ambushed and mauled." I answered, "Not really. We'll just get on the four-wheeler and go. Actually, we're not going straight to town just yet." Autriel finished the sausage, but continued to absentmindedly naw on the fork. "Oh?"

"Well, my parents live far away, and I don't know how far you monsters are spread out. Now that it's morning, I'm willing to bet that it's made news already, so I figured I'd give them a call and let them know I'm fine."

"You would call for them? I thought you said you were far away."

"They are. I'll call them on my phone when I get into cell service."

"I have no idea what you just said."

"Oh right, you don't know." I pulled out my cell phone. "Wonderful little device when you actually think about it. With this, I can speak with anyone I want, no matter where they are."

"Amazing. I'm assuming it's magical."

"Errr… No. It's not magical, but let's just say it is, because that'll make it easier to understand. You may have noticed some thin metal towers nearby. Those are 'bound' to my phone and let's it work. However these towers need to 'see' it and so mountains interfere with that."

"I see. You plan is to go uphill then?"

"To do that, yeah. Also, there's a radio station on the peak and I want to touch in with some fellow humans before heading into town."

"Then we have no time to waste."

"Right."

I packed the guns and the bat into the duffel bag, along with toiletries and clothes. Out of curiosity, I asked who made the modified tank top Autriel was wearing. She said one of her sisters kidnapped a tailor and he was most cooperative, especially after they threatened to shatter his hands.

I carried the bag to the ATV and Autriel took off, hovered down the stairs, and landed on her good leg. A broken knee isn't so bad when you can just fly wherever you want. I got in, so did she, and I put the bag in between us. She asked how was I expecting to go anywhere without a beast of burden. I answered it was a horseless cart. Autriel had gotten to the point where she just accepted what I said without asking. I said to hang on and started up the mountain.

Nothing jumped out at us during the ride. It wasn't a long one, but it seemed that way since the feeling of being watched had never truly left. Honestly, I think speed and the noise of the motor were the only thing keeping them away. That, and while Autriel seemed to be enjoying the ride, her occasionally looking into the forest, baring her teeth and growling, stressed me out. At one point, she blew a small puff of flame and I swear I saw the same insectoid thing I saw last night scuttle into the bushes. It was just a blur, though.

Autriel mentioned her presence might disturb the locals and I agreed. Ignoring that "the contraption"'s noise had probably disturbed every monster in a quarter mile. I parked behind a bush, while Autriel stared up at the signal tower. The front door had been bashed in, with two large dents around head height in it. Glass was all over the floor.

I didn't waste any time and found a radio inside. I spent a few minutes tuning it to various stations to figure out what was going on. It was very chaotic, but monsters were targeting civilian areas, so power was still on in most places. Anyone with a radio transmitter was now using it to request for help, declare safehouse locations, or, like one man, give an unnervingly calm reading of the book of Revelations. Some signals were coming from out of state, so it looks like this disaster wasn't localized. A few more minutes and I figured out that the whole country was in this situation. I also picked up a numbers station transmission, just blatantly hanging out on civilian frequencies. It said a recording, "They say the Nile used to run from east to west", followed by a tone, then silence for thirty seconds, before the whole thing repeated. It was eerie, so I turned off the radio.

I walked outside and found Autriel sitting on the edge of the roof. I tried to call home again with no luck, just an answering machine. Autriel asked, "So, what do you suppose we do now?" I explained what was going on and said, "...However, I'm going to head home. I've gotta make sure they're all right." Autriel looked skeptical, "By the time you are finished crossing your nation, they may be long dead." Her logic was sound, "But, better late than never. You want to come? A travel buddy would be nice." She pushed off the roof and carefully descended her way to the ground. "Your loyalty is commendable and a tour of this new land without having to fly it myself sounds fun. I shall stay and then we will see what to do at the end."

"Sweet. Welcome aboard."


	2. No Time to be Sheepish

_Finally! I am given a voice at last! Took him long enough. When Richard informed me he was making a biography, he also told me I was as much a part of the story as he was, so therefore I can write my own sections. Now, you may be thinking, "Autriel, how can you possibly be creating this if you cannot type?" The answer is that Richard gave the machine the ability to hear. All I must do is speak into this fuzzy bulb and my words will last as long as there is someone to read them! He simply edits later. Intoxicating. Anyway, it's obvious that this was a new experience for me at the time. Richard calls my speech narcissistic, but either he doesn't recognize it, or refuses to just to bug me. Probably the latter because he just doesn't understand just how far he is looking upward to see me That's expected, because I'm not like most people. Then again, I'm not alone, because most people don't read stories of monstergirls. Congratulations reader, you aren't the average in that regard. If you put any effort into it, well done. _

_To be a dragon is a difficult experience. Not in the sense of survival of the fittest, for I am quite literally a flying and fire-breathing monster, capable of vast amounts of death and destruction. Combat is easy, and I can get whatever I want with minimal effort. No, It is the battle of the soul that is the most taxing. Unlike the others of my kind, dragons have retained a sense of sanity that would have made life much easier without. Ignorance is bliss. I told Richard how monstergirls require human men to reproduce and some of their own… unique ways of doing it. He called it parasitic. I couldn't disagree with him. _

_Even the humans have the saying, "Knowledge is power." But, knowledge is also potential pain. While our ability to record is limited, dragons are chroniclers. We know we were not always like this; These instinctively deranged engines of molestation, not unlike the depraved fantasies of a lonely writer. We were proud, elegant, and in control of ourselves. Before I arrived at Earth, I was the only one I knew who acknowledged this. I asked, was all that we were destined for? The elders didn't know and said to think of such things would only cause confusion. The humans we captured were even more ignorant. Asking questions only confused them._

_I hated it. I hated every second of my miserable life there. My behavior was decided before I even knew how to speak. Every time we captured a human, I would fly as far as possible away. Screams of panic and howls of delight would echo down the mountain, until one would fall silent. Even when I writhed and shivered there, my own instincts doing their best to rip me in half, I couldn't go back because then I would have surrendered. I would have lost to whatever made us this way. I would have lost to "me". Failure was incomprehensible because I felt I would lose something I would never be able to get back. Rarely, a human would manage to defeat one of us and then they would both disappear. Was that my fate? To molest humans just out of angst, only to eventually become the willful slave of the one who defeated me in combat, regardless if I thought they were the most insufferable thing? I once saw one of my kind in that state. I wondered if, behind those glassy eyes, there was a soul begging to be freed. The others didn't ask themselves these questions. It was simpler._

_After a while, I conceded that my behavior was just the way of things and the way that I was: Mother nature's disturbed wet dream. Occasionally a "representative" from the dark city would come to check up on how we were doing. I would be gone at that time and had to bribe others to come up with a story on how I was busy hunting men. I continued my spiral of self-loathing and that carried over to the rest of my kind. I considered attacking human women just to spite them. Either that, or simply cause as much destruction as possible until the human clans united and killed me. At least that would garner some respect._

_Truth be told, I was on my way to attack a human fort after destroying a few farms when I noticed the terrain shimmer and change. Then, some idiot came along and broke my leg. That was a joke. I want to declare here that I cannot thank Richard enough. Somehow he "knocked some sense into me" as he says. I know there's more to him, because when I saw him at the tower, he glowed. It was like he projected this aura of… something. It almost seemed like an almost bottomless wellspring of energy. I do know that him hitting me was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I don't say this out of some basic instinct, because I was finally, for the first time, free. At least, I hope._

_I could go on, but mother I must pee go on Kreia you do not need me to help wait I didn't want to say that no delete all of that Richard Richard I made a mistake and it won't stop how do I make it stop mother I really require your gaze to go pee Kreia hold on to it Autriel what did you do. _

(Kept because funny)

_I also want to say here that when Richard said "Pack your things. I'm going to take you home" after the previous installment, I didn't know at the time, but it reinforces my belief of Peter Gabriel as an unrecognized prophet. The lyrics of Solsbury Hill almost perfectly predict (with some translation) the series of events after the tower encounter. Two other songs from him also predict the future, but they are private to me. Richard doesn't take it seriously and Gusoyn doesn't care"._

_So, for the first time in my life, I was intimidated. I met a man and was practically giddy with relief that I could approach it however I wished. For the first time, I met an equal and someone I could relate with, or at least carry on a meaningful conversation. _

Back to me again. We rode down the mountain toward town. I could hear the occasional gunfire. One of the houses in the subdivision was on fire. We skirted around outside of town, making our way to the commercial area. First on the list of priorities was finding a better vehicle. We weren't going to be going very far on the ATV. Taking advantage of the apocalyptic situation, I figured it was best to simply steal something. I spotted an RV parked in one of those cookie-cutter house's driveway. The place seemed normal until we saw that one of the windows was missing on the north side. There was just a hole where the wall had been smashed in.

Autriel protested the idea of "scavenging", saying she was no "carrion-eater" and didn't take from the dead. I said the homeowner was nowhere nearby and clearly had abandoned the property. I was going to find the master bedroom and look for the keys to the RV. Autriel could take whatever she wanted. I didn't care as long as it was reasonable. She pondered a bit, then began looting a jewelry box after following me upstairs. I commented, "Greedy wyvern." Autriel corrected me, "I am no wyvern. I am a dragon. There's a difference." I asked what that was. "Wyvern's wings and upper arms are all one appendage. While they have greater flying endurance, they are limited by their lack of hands. In order to grasp, they must use their feet or teeth." I learned something that previously would have simply been trivia. Whoop-dee-doo.

I considered taking the plate off the RV, but that would probably draw more suspicion. It was one of those fancy ones where the sides can extend, so that was a plus. We stopped by a hardware store and got a siphon pump and some jerry cans there. I figured we'd need them since most gas stations wouldn't be operating. I filled the tanks and the RV's with empty cars nearby. We stopped by an empty grocery store and camping supply store for goods and only had to dodge monsters twice.

I really don't like to describe what the monsters were doing. I don't want to put it down, now that things are different and it might taint the perspective people have of them. The past is the past, and while we should never forget it, we shouldn't dwell on it too much. Everyone knows what they did when they pinned a person. I really can't make the "it was just their nature" argument either. Nothing anyone could have said would justify the screams. We drove south and didn't look back.

I'll be honest, the whole thing was highly suspicious to me. I mean come on, there's suddenly an influx of human/earth animal hybrids (with some mythical ones, too) running around. My first thought was aliens, my second was some kind of theoretical genetics experiment gone rogue (but that wouldn't explain why they were nationwide), and my third was some kind of "rough waters" in the multiverse and Earth bumped into somewhere else. This was way too hot to be real, if you consider being violated and/or torn to shreds hot.

Maybe it's some elaborate illusion created by my brain. Maybe I've unknowingly gone off the deep end and am running through the woods, stark naked, yelling at wildlife. I can't say I liked reality all that well, so why not go with what I see and embrace it? So, I decided I'm going to dive in headfirst, enjoy myself, and treat this situation with the seriousness it deserves.

After a little driving, we got out and I'll explain why in a bit. Autriel practically ran out the door (as fast as she could with the crutch) and started flying about. As I watched I noticed how she flew. The only birds around me when I grew up were songbirds. Those just simply beat their wings as fast as they could to fly. There was no style to it. That fit their paranoid and hyperactive personalities, though. Autriel didn't do this. Every beat was purposeful and intentional. It was peak efficiency and confidence, beating her wings as much as she needed and nothing more. She didn't fly to run because she feared nothing. It was like a casual stroll through a field, except she wanted a better view. As I absentmindedly stared, I thought to myself, "If this truly is just a bundle of illusions, then this is my favourite pack of lies I've been fed so far."

Now, to why she was flying. We had driven a few hours and my main goal was to get to a highway. Autriel spent the time inspecting the jewelry box's contents and then storing them one by one into a tupperware container. My commenting that nothing would rust in there excited her to no end. After a bit of that, she began complaining again on how the sausages were good(Don't get her wrong. She was very thankful.), but fresh meat would be appreciated. I said I would see what I could do.

We noticed a sheep farm and I thought this was a great opportunity for a lesson. I parked just outside the gate and gave Autriel the basics in firearm operation and safety. She said the thing was loud and she didn't need to rely on "fragile human weaponry". She could already delete any non-fireproof target at range and she only got more dangerous as she closed. A scattergun would be pointless. I said, "Look, just try it. You might find it satisfying and then we can try the hunting rifle." She asked how far that one shot and I responded, "as far as she could see" if she got good enough. She said she'd humor me.

By the time I finished teaching, it had started to rain. Now, I don't mind being rained on in the slightest. Only thing that stops me is if I had something on me that I don't want wet, like a wallet. I walked out of the RV with the clothes on me and the baseball bat. Don't know what I was planning on doing with it, probably only to serve as an example of Chekhov's Gun. The pasture had a large hill soon after the gate, making it impossible to see over the side. This was actually great for the homeowner because it gave a sense of privacy from the road and they'd never be bugged by headlights or car noises. Armchair real estate estimations aside, all it did for me at that moment was make me wonder where the sheep were. Autriel ascended and made a grunt. I wondered what she saw and reached the crest of the hill.

I saw a brief snippet of hell. Normally one would think of grass as green, but I was the deepest shade of red I'd ever seen. What was green smoldered in places. A pack of seven wolf-like creatures were chowing down on a sheep. I assume it was because I couldn't actually see it. There were other sheep, though most were only remnants. It was like they had spontaneously detonated, the only record were occasional pieces the demons hadn't bothered to eat yet. A hip bone, half a face, maybe an asscheek, were just a few of the things lying about the field. Three of the sheep they hadn't gotten to yet were just hiding in the garage, completely silent. Not that the garage door was open, it was simply nonexistent.

The house itself looked like a hurricane had its way with it and then decided to set it on fire for good measure on the way out. It wasn't currently in flames, but there were burn marks here and there. The front door was lying inside the front hedge. Claw marks covered it, but there was a massive hole in the middle, which suggested they grew tired of clawing the door, simply punched through, and ripped it off its hinges. The remnants of another exploded sheep were on the side of the house, like they had thought it'd be funny to fling a sheep at the wall and see how long it would take for it to turn into ground meat. Wool was everywhere like a twisted imitation of melting snow. The wind was behind me, so I couldn't smell anything.

They could smell me, though. Then, horror of horrors, one of them noticed me and made a noise to notify the others. They all paused from their mutton meal and stared at me. They weren't surprised that I was there because they knew long before I stepped foot onto the property. No, they were shocked that I had the stupidity to come within half a mile of them.

I also want to point out that they didn't just stare, they steamed. Any part of them that wasn't fur (the face and torso) wasn't very wet because the rain evaporated soon after a drop hit it. Almost forgot to mention that their eyebrows were also on fire. Just an inexplicable fact. The flames illuminated their amber eyes. Sure, they had female forms, same as everything else I'd seen, but I didn't particularly care at this moment. So, there they crouched, these black, bloodstained, fiery, hell beasts whose meal I had just interrupted.

I was well and thoroughly fucked.

These things were obviously top of the food chain, considering the absence of everything else alive in the field (except my stupid ass). Here was my train of thought at that moment: They're predators. Predators smell weakness. Can't show weakness, but probably already shit myself. Can't hide or run, so how can I assert myself? What I said next is what I think I said. Autriel says I did, but she might be just saying that to make me feel better.

"ATTENTION DOG-BITCHES! I AM RICHARD THE DICKHEARTED, LORD OF THE HOES. I CHALLENGE THE LEADER OF YOUR PACK FOR THE POSITION."

_I was a little concerned here. While it is true, dragon's fire burns brightest, these hellhounds did not fear fire. They are fire, plain and simple. In retrospect, the weapon Richard gave me was the best choice. Like I said, fire was not an option, so the only other was melee, and that would be a fairly equal fight. Also, his choice of challenge was a good one as well. In a few seconds, he had removed the numbers factor from the battle. That doesn't change that it was still incredibly foolish, but I can't say he had other options._

_After Richard uttered his war cry, I must admit, if I was only somewhat warm before, I was certainly boiling afterward. I'll let you interpret the metaphor. _

Autriel took the initiative and fired the shotgun. Now, I knew her aim was going to be terrible, so that's why I didn't give her the rifle. That, and she could barely fit her claw into the trigger as it was. If that was rough, then moving the bolt would be like performing surgery. She had also forgotten almost everything I had taught her in less than two minutes. She remembered was to not point it at me, so she gets a point for that. The only thing accomplished was a broken window, but that made all windows on that side broken, so I guess it's the universe's weird sense of completeness at work. The noise made everyone flinch.

She also made the first-timer mistake of holding the stock under the elbow, so the unexpected recoil made it fly backwards and land on the top of the hill with a splat. Autriel said, "Whoops" and went to retrieve it.

She didn't say she was going to be firing. No "Excuse me, but I am about to pull the trigger. It would be recommended to plug your ears, for it is quite loud." Not even a "Die!". Just a deafening boom and I reflexively looked in her direction for a second.

One second was too long because the pack leader took the opportunity. By the time I looked back, she was already two-thirds of the way to me. The other third was spent bringing the bat up for whatever defense I could think of.

Beforehand, I had considered my brief fight with Autriel and thought there was no possible way I could have survived an ambush attack by something as large as her.

_Pardon?_

-as POWERFUL as her.

_Thank you._

I think I'm a mix of cursed and blessed. As I've continued my journeys, I've realized that I'm often stuck to fighting in melee with what seems like dumb luck. That's the first part. The second part will be explained by Autriel and the newcomer, and that's the reason I stay in melee as most as I can. The more I live with monsters, the more I realize I can't "dehumanize" them enough to try and kill them. I don't want to. I felt as if their existence was just as sentient and legitimate as my own. Still, I'm absolutely terrified at this point.

The hellhound(how I'll refer to it from now on) lept off the ground with all fours, but fought with a weird mix of human and canine combat. After she got up close, she swiped with the left claw. Using the rest of the limbs to try and pin me. For some reason, I instinctively jumped before the claw hit, which grinded with a horrible noise on the metal bat. Don't know why I thought being off the ground would help at all. While I was pretty suspicious my strength was enhanced, my mass was not, and I was flung a few yards away. That fortunately surprised her and stopped her pin attempt.

I got out of the bloody grass and she was already in my face. Again, I put up a defense, but my problem wasn't strength, it was weight. She was trying to grapple me, but the force to break my defense would throw me. I was getting smacked around and it didn't matter if I parried. One of us had to come up with another plan first.

Autriel couldn't assist. I had called a challenge and only I would participate. That, and the other six hellhounds would leap up and dogpile(I'm funny) her before she could ascend to a safe height. Her only ranged attack was fire and that wouldn't do dick, so they both accepted a temporary truce as spectators. Back to the fight.

It's hard to act aggressive against something with flaming eyes and sadistic grin on its face. She never let up. If she wasn't attacking, she was thinking, and she was always doing both. She didn't even look mad. The hellhound was actually having a lovely time and gave off this mixture between a growl and a laugh. In a cocky move, she tried to push down the bat I was holding horizontally, leaned toward my face, and gave this obnoxiously smug and toothy smile. My eyes watered as the heat from her mouth dried them. I did what any sane man would obviously do and head butted her.

Now she was pissed. Her inability to break my defense was slightly confusing, but now I had broken hers. She wasn't growling anymore, now she was roaring. Weird thing to notice in the middle of combat, but the inside of her mouth actually glowed yellow, with an uncomfortable amount of pointy teeth around it. The memory of the next bit is both vivid and vague at the same time, so I'll try to dramatically ad-lib. I figured out how to divert the blows into either the ground or to dodge entirely. I swung a few times and realized I would have a tougher time with this than I would with Autriel. The dragon's hide was resistant to piercing, but this was a land animal and she was much better against blunt weapons.

The entire thing was like a gigantic run-on sentence. I blocked with two hands, so she chomped the grip of the bat and threw her neck upward, flinging me into the air, so I took advantage and kicked her under the chin, but her arms were free, so I received a blow to the stomach, knocking me flying backwards, but she let go of the bat, so I hit her in the shoulder on the way out.

No time for recovery. Her jaws were already locked on my left arm mid-air and she held on with the ferocity of, well, an enraged dog. She pinned my legs with hers, throwing me off balance. We both slammed into the ground, shifting her teeth and causing her to bite even harder. I cried out in pain, but mostly panic. I swung the bat one-handed into her side, leaned forward, and clamped my teeth onto her nose. That's what you were supposed to do with sharks and alligators, I think. I saw her eyes glass over and I pulled her nose as hard as I could.

The hound broke first, and I released, too. Her skin was already black, but I could see a bruise forming on her side. She screamed in infernal rage at this stupid human who not only wouldn't submit, but also had the audacity to strike back. She radiated heat, as if the sheer anger generated infrared rays. The wet ground under her paws hissed and gave off steam. I yelled back, waving my hurt arm in front of me, "Flesh wound, bitch!".

I don't know how long it lasted, but it felt like an hour. At one point, Autriel stopped hovering, landed, and just stared. The rest of the pack backed off to the sheep carcass and ate pieces of it like popcorn. The bat should have broken numerous times. The turf was so shredded that the red grass was gone in a circle around us. I was covered in topsoil and was just as dark as she was. Maybe there's some kind of metaphor in that.

I'll be honest, I was in a generally awful mood and it had been simmering for years, maybe decades. I had a jaded view of people and the establishment at large. The bad breakup was just the tipping point. I tend to have high standards and very few things tend to live up to them, but I feel like I'm just punching myself in the face with that. You know what? I'm not going to sugar-coat it. Everything just pissed me off. It was so frustrating and unfair that it could all just be so much better and it seemed so obvious to me, yet I was powerless to change it, so I ran away to a tower in the middle of the woods because I needed time to collect myself. No one was there to interfere with my own thoughts. Why couldn't people and their creations just be better? Was it an inability? Why should I lower my standards to make up for their lack of ability? Not having the will to do something wasn't a reason, it was just an excuse.

But, all of a sudden, a bunch of rape-fetishist schmucks kick in the dimensional door and everything is ripped a new one. Any hope of repair was gone. What little I liked, what little I cared about was stomped on by single-minded beings who didn't care. I would make them care.

To forgive is divine, but this rule doesn't always apply. To defy, to stand up and say, "No, I refuse to accept this, and I will do everything I can to change this." Here I am, performing one of the most basic of anime tropes of monologuing during a fight. I'm such a hypocrite because I get really annoyed when they do that. If this ever gets a documentary, I'm going to invest in the animation. I digress.

One of the best and most intimate ways to know someone is to fight them. I saw the same thing in my opponent. Someone, something, had wronged her. Life was naturally unfair, but it had dealt her a particularly bad hand fairly recently and she had been stewing with that fact for a while. She had been jostled out position, deemed "unacceptable", and practically thrown out of somewhere. Of course, I learned more later when she told me, but she was just putting places and names to events I already knew happened in that field. I had stupidly thrown myself into the ring, but suddenly found myself wanting to stay. I fought her because I understood her.

Hell, she probably wanted this at some deep level. Some living punching bag had walked up to her and said, "Fight me!" as loud as he could, threatening to take away what little she had left. She could finally vent all of that frustration and actually go head to head with someone for her reputation with no strings attached. I can't really explain how I knew this. Maybe it was her style. The hellhound's fury was as informative as a book.

But, force of will is always an even playing field, so this monster in front of me would know the determination of a human. I would not lose. I would get knocked down, but I'd get up again. Nothing would ever keep me down.

The terrain was to a point where both of us had tilled it in case the farmer wanted to plant anything there or use it as a mud fighting circle. We absolutely pummeled each other in the pouring rain. It was like fighting in a steam room. She had clawed my left leg and chest and my wounded arm was feeling funny. There were points where we would back off, increasing in frequency as the fight wore on, and just screamed at each other. Well, I screamed vulgarities, she just roared. Language be damned, we knew exactly what the other was saying. Then, we would get back into trying to tear each other apart.

If I'm dragging this on, it's to try and make a point on how long and brutal it felt. It eventually devolved as all extended fights do into just exchanging blows. I got tired of beating. She got tired of mauling. I got tired of blocking. It ended with one last burst of desperation from her, which I parried and returned with a lethargic blow to the head that made a hollow *thud*. She shakily stood there for a second, moaned, and fell backwards into the ground. The mud hissed.

The adrenaline depleted and sanity reasserted itself. I was wet, bloody, exhausted, but not cold. I didn't even have the strength to raise my arm in victory. I turned to Autriel and half-heartedly declared, "Yo Autriel. I did it", but I doubt anyone heard it above the rain. I thought to myself, "Damn, that fur looks real nice. Wonder what it would be like to have some." I promptly fell forward onto my face and figured this was a great place to take a nap.

I woke up in a comfy double size bed. I was in some kind of bedroom with yellow sheets and wallpaper. There were pictures of sailboats hanging on the wall. Sunlight came through a window and illuminated the bed. It reminded me of my grandmother's house. Then, I felt a burst of panic. Where was I? Whose house was this?

I turned my head to the left. Autriel was sitting in a wooden chair with a wicker backrest, except half of it was removed so she could stick her tail through it. She was in a deep sleep. I heard a sniff to my right and turned.

There was another bed to my right and it was also occupied. It was the hellhound I fought. She was awake and seemed upset. I said, "Morning."

She said, "It's gone."

"What?"

"I don't know, but I didn't think it was something I could lose. You took it."

I laid there for a bit, "If this is about the pack, I really don't want to be leader."

"No. That's not it. Either way, they won't accept it. You won and I lost. You're leader in title only. They'll fight among themselves for actual leader."

"Didn't want leadership anyway."

She laid there, confused. "Then, what do you want? Why fight me?"

"Don't know. It's probably some stupid reason. Maybe I didn't have a choice. As for what I want, I'd like some friends, someone to share this apocalyptic scenario"

"That's a stupid reason."

"I know, but it's a start."

"You're so desperate for comrades you go and attack the closest thing and hope they respond."

"Takes one to know one."

We both paused for a bit and then I said, "Everything hurts." I chuckled, then added, "Even hurts to laugh."

"Yeah and whose fault is that? The fool who stood on top of a hill in the rain and yelled at a pack."

"Got me there. You know, I don't mean any hard feelings."

"Oh we're beyond hard feelings. You take my leadership and my pride, which were all I had left. You even took something else from my soul that I can't even remember what it was. Now what? Am I gonna be a lone wolf now? Do expect me to follow you? Because that's not happening."

"No. I don't… I don't want anything from you. Hell, I want to thank you. I got a lot off my chest, whether you meant to or not. You… seem to have had the same."

"Yeah. Why not tell you? We were in a competition and I took responsibility of pack leader. Pack in last place was exiled. That… was us. It was idiotic. I hate them all."

"I'm sorry. What were you competing for?"

She moved upright, immediately regretted it, then laid back down. "I don't need your pity. The event was about who could collect the most men. We had bad luck."

"That shit sucks. Then what?"

"I swore revenge against the organizers, we roamed the forest, the trees changed, and we found a sheep farm."

"Oh yeah, we're still on the farm, right?"

"Smells like it."

"Welp, I'm going to get out and see if there's any cereal. Doubt you…"

"Hellhound."

"-hellhounds would go after the grains. You gonna get out?"

"I will in a while. We hellhounds-"

"-Heal quickly. Do you have a name?"

"Gusoyn. Many humans fear that name."

"Good for you. Gusoyn, from the bottom of my heart, I want to say: Thank you. You were the peak form of predator and the best fight I've ever had."

I hadn't noticed this, but her ears were shifted back, but they suddenly flipped forward, as if they suddenly had an interest in what was going on. She said, "thanks", leaned back, and stared at the ceiling.

Every part of me was sore and a quarter of my body was claw marks. My hair hurt. I got out of bed and shuffled toward the door in nothing but my underwear because I just didn't give enough of a shit.

I got into the doorway when I was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders by a pair of massive claws, spun around, and slammed into a wall. Oh, Autriel must have woken up. Might as well add another pain pancake to the stack.

"You're alive! I worried you would have bled on the ground, or you wounds would have been blighted! These hounds know nothing of care, so I cleaned you up and they put the both of you in bed to rest. I am… I am…"

She then carefully inspected me for damage, similar to how a jeweler looks for blemishes. It was genuinely heartfelt, but also felt like I was being inspected for an auction. She slammed the wall above my shoulders with her huge fists, destroying the sheetrock.

"Don't you ever, and I mean ever, put me through that much… I can't even put it into words."

"Fucking?"

"-fucking stress ever again. I just restarted my hoard and I don't need the most valuable thing in it damaged already. I cannot even comprehend how you thought it was a good idea."

Sarcastically, I said, "That really hits me right here. Thank you. I feel honored being in your hoard. I'll do my best to not 'break' myself."

Autriel didn't catch it, "You should be. I'm very picky. I only keep the shiniest things. Now, let's see if they missed a sheep. I'm hungry." She sauntered down the hallway.

I guess this was her way of showing relief. At the same time, I started considering her worries for me. As I crunched on the cereal and stared out the broken doorway, I wondered about futility.

Was it pointless to go on this trip back to my parents' house? Their phones wouldn't answer and I had no contacts back there. The optimist in me said they'd be fine. There are policies for this sort of thing. They were smart people and would find a shelter or otherwise safe place. All I had to do was find them in that area.

The nagging doubt whispered in my ear and said I knew that plan was flimsy. Nothing was certain. Instead, I was starting to befriend the very invaders causing this problem. By the time I made it home, would they even recognize me?

I have a confession and a realization to make. I was a lonely man, but I also know that humanity as a whole was too. We were the sole sapien owners of the planet, rivaled in wisdom by none. This is a very solitary existence and I believe humanity fills that gap with fiction to make up for that. Sitting around and saying, "You know, it'd be really cool if-", and then letting the conversation go on from there, escalating into a grand shared delusion that gives us some sense of wonder. If everyone pretends the same thing, it can turn into the deepest sense of understanding.

The desire for the world to be more than it is; the wish that there were things without explanation; the rejection of nature, it's all part of the thing that makes humanity unique. Nothing else can come close. Reality is the realest thing that will ever be, but everyone would rather be somewhere else.

It filled me with a mixture of giddiness and terror. I was happy to no longer be alone(despite the temperament of the new arrivals), but I was nearly overwhelmed with a feeling of loss of control. I now knew nothing. There were new rules and ways to be observed that perplexed me.

Enough of the philosophical pondering, you want more monstergirl shenanigans, don't you? Let's get on with it.

As I chewed, the rest of the pack wandered in. Hellhounds are not small, so they filled the kitchen with little room to spare. They all stared expectantly at me as I continued eating my cereal. The dead silent staring was getting awkward. I broke it and asked, "What?"

The tallest one said, "How is she?" I responded, "Think she's fine. We talked. I don't think any of you are going to follow me, but I'm fine with that."

Gusoyn came out from the bedroom, "But one must be the leader and I don't want to see my pack tear each other apart. As the strongest thing in the room(aside from the lizard out there), I think you should make a suggestion. They might listen."

I sat there, a little bit shocked. Then, I said, "All right. You there, tall one who spoke to me. Since I kicked your leader's ass, and since I'm only the leader on paper, I give you the title of 'first mate'." I got up, went to the RV, shuffled through my bag of books, and returned with the Government Manual for New Pirates.(A great book and worth the read). I grabbed a purse hanging on the wall, emptied the contents on the floor, and put the book in there. "If you can't read, head into town and kidnap someone who can. Also, find someone who can teach you how to hotwire a car or do it for you." I handed the purse to the tall one. She didn't take it, and it awkwardly dropped on the floor.

"The first mate isn't the pack leader, but she's got all the powers I do. That being said, roam where you will and maybe we'll meet again.", I explained. Tall one flicked the purse into the air with her toe/claw and caught it. She looked at Gusoyn and asked, "What about you?"

Gusoyn paused for a bit and said, "We made a deal. I will stay." There was another pause, as the rest of them looked at her with a mixture of emotions, none of them positive. Gusoyn herself seemed to be angry(probably a perpetual state for her) and tried to nonverbally explain herself. It wasn't working out too well. I crunched on the cereal and prepared for the entire kitchen to just burst into flames. The pack left, notably with the bag. I wished them happy trails. I asked Gusoyn, "When did we ever make a deal?" She grimaced, "You have something of mine and I'm going to get it back, no matter how long it takes. I'm not going with you because I want to and I'm absolutely not going to listen to any order." I threw my hands into the air, forgetting I still had a spoon in hand and flung milk onto the floor, "Fine. Keep your enemies closer. I think both of us are equally ready for a round two." Gusoyn snorted and walked outside.

I considered this a tense situation resolved and thought there could be no possible ramifications to it.

Highway 80 would never be the same.


	3. Insight and the Commercial Industry

We headed south, toward the highway. Autriel and Gusoyn got along fairly well. The former didn't like being called lizard, while the latter didn't like being called a dog. They were in no way small people. Autriel kept her wings tucked in when she was inside, while Gusoyn didn't flick her tail everywhere. Autriel preferred to sleep on the roof, Gusoyn wanted to curl up on the rug or a couch. It was all about compromise. Stops every three hours of travel were necessary.

The personalities of Autriel and Gusoyn manifested in their territorial claims. The hellhound the interior when we weren't moving and the passenger seat when we were. The speed at which we moved seemed to astonish her and she demanded the window be rolled down so she could stick her head out of it.

The dragon preferred the highest ground, regardless if there was a roof over it. I tied(eventually bolted) a beach chair to the roof and she seemed content to be there. If bored or forced due to inclimate weather, she would climb down(ruining the paint with her claws) and get in through the side door. She did this regardless if the vehicle was in motion or not. That door didn't lock after the first two times this happened.

Now that things had relatively calmed down(only one snake-thing had to be scared off), I figured out how to connect my phone to the radio and started playing music. There was a mixed reaction. Autriel came inside to investigate(that was the time the lock broke). Gusoyn responded by leaping over the headrest, running a lap around the table, and eventually attacking it with her teeth, all the while screaming, "Where is it coming from?! I don't know where it's coming from!" I gave a crash course on modern music and the magical things that made the noise. Gusoyn released the table and calmed down, eventually coming to accept it. Autriel was indifferent at first, but sometimes would peek her head into the driver's window(terrifying the first few times) and make a request. They mostly went along the lines of, "Play that one you played an hour ago that went 'lah de dah doo dah'." We ended the day by stopping outside a university town and would decide tomorrow to go around or go through. Despite both riders claiming to have excellent navigational skills, neither were capable of handling the map without tearing it in multiple places. The GPS on my phone isn't very helpful if there's no cell service. My carrier didn't cover the southern half of the state. Autriel's survey flights were helpful, but she was having a rough time describing things. "These crossing black roads with dots in the middle" and the "crude metal bird sculptures". I noticed she was one of those people who talked with her hands. I wondered if she could speak if we tied her hands together, assuming we could find rope to actually hold her.

Gusoyn was interesting to be around. Despite her… moody attitude and resistance against a command, I got along with her. To keep myself in shape(and sane), I would jog or walk every morning(but in this case, afternoon). Gusoyn joined, keeping pace. Normally, I would stay on roads, but she insisted on performing a territorial sweep, private property be damned. I didn't care, so I went along. She would always keep pace with me and would never stray outside of eyesight. I wanted to call them walks. I really did, but if I explained the context to her, she'd probably bite me, so I just called them "patrols." She took satisfaction in doing them.

The sense of comradery was unexpected during those times. Everything just sort of worked out and I didn't want to rock the boat. Tension was high, but it didn't break. During one of our "patrols", Gusoyn said she smelled something funny. I followed out of curiosity and we came to a roadside diner. No one was there. I followed her sniffing around back and we came upon a locked back door. That didn't stop her. It didn't for her to get through hollow metal door. She threw it aside and yelled, "This is almost worse than the fumes of human alchemy! What did they cook in this place?". She jumped inside and I stopped dead in my tracks because I started smelling it, too. It was gas. Someone must have run in a panic and left it on.

I tried to scream "Stop!" as loud as I could, but it was too late. The very nature of a hellhound was heat and just the sparks of her claws on tile could have set it off. The entire kitchen area became an inferno with a deafening "FWOOM". Every part of exposed skin on my body burned and my eyes immediately dried. The pressure wave threw me backward. As the fireball subsided a little, I could hear Gusoyn laughing, "Ha! Nice fire trap, b-", before she immediately stopped speaking. She stood there, holding her hands onto her throat and turned to me with a look of panic on her face.

The fireball was nothing, yes, but it had consumed all of the oxygen in the area. It doesn't matter how tough you are, everyone needs to breathe. She passed out, so I ran inside and dragged her out. She was out cold, so I just propped her against the brick wall. At first I was worried, but a poke from a stick in the stomach and a groggy growl from her told me she was just snoozing.

She was actually fairly tranquil asleep. Her eyes no longer gave off flame, just smoke. I just sat and enjoyed the forest view. That and the view of Gusoyn when she wasn't aware of me looking at her.

Big question here: What's the line between "Hey, that's exotic and hot" and "You disturbing deviant. Die in a ditch"? Similar to Autriel, her torso, head, and upper half of her legs were human. Only exception was the charcoal black skin and ears on her head. Out of curiosity, I checked the side of her head and there were no human ears. Slightly unnerving, but it made sense. Oh yeah, almost forgot the tail, but that's kind of assumed. I also noticed that it wasn't her eyebrows, but her eyes themselves that gave off fire.

I had convinced her to wear a shirt, but she wanted to wear the shredded polo of the sheep farm owner as a trophy. A hellhound in a neckless turtleneck was a match made in… I guess hell. Eventually, she woke up with a start. Her eyes re-ignited and she stared at me. I said with a grin, "Dumbass. For somebody who hangs around fire so much, you should know how it works." She narrowed her eyes.

"Did y-"

"Nope"

"How lo-"

"Half an hour."

"If you lie, I swear I will gut-"

"I dragged you out here and have done nothing, but sit and pick at my scabs this entire time. I would've tried to carry you back, but I think I've done enough to your pride as-is."

She woozily got up and we returned to the RV. Autriel asked what took us so long from the roof. I summarized, said I had to go to the restroom, and ran off. Autriel waited until I was gone, and then chuckled.

**Gusoyn snarled, "What are you laughing at?" **

_The smug dragon giggled again, "Oh you know, fate works in mysterious ways."_

**And it's funny?**

_It's hilarious. It's hilarious to see how people react to the same thing I've gone through and take completely different outlooks on it._

**At least I didn't take one swing to bring down. Richard told me you vomited all over the floor.**

_Such is the price of flight. While I am armored, my bones are lighter than most land animals'. Personally, I call foul and think it's something else. Normally steel doesn't harm me. However, the same problem applies to you. But, that is not what I was talking about. I'm talking about the piece of you that's been "lost." It seems to be troubling you greatly. _

**I don't remember telling you. **

_You didn't, but I was there when it was said. _

**Kind of underhanded from someone as prideful as you.**

_I'll admit, we are a very high-and-mighty species, but we are also very observant. Being at the top means you're always being watched. An ex-pack leader like yourself should know that._

**If you know something's missing, then mind coming down off that metal box on wheels and telling me what it is?**

_I could. I could, but I think it'll be more fun to ask you a more pointed question. He's already humiliated you already. Why haven't you had your way with him as revenge?_

**I'm not stupid. I know that the instinct's gone. I feel hollow.**

_Then why are you still here? Why are you following him? What is your motive? _

**I might not understand it, but I think he still has it. I don't know why you're so smug. We both know what happens to dragons when they never get some. No amount of broken knees is going to fix that.**

_I'm not worried. I have plenty of time, as do you. You seem distressed to have lost something I've considered a burden my entire life. If you don't understand the amount of control that's just been bestowed upon you, then you have my pity. _

**Don't even think about sending me your sympathies. You're awfully confident in yourself after revealing something very delicate you value. **

_Careful there, hound. Whether he knows it or not, I owe him for releasing me from almost two decades of suffering. I'll tolerate the play fighting, the harassment, even the emotional outbursts, but you know what happens to those who damage the horde of a dragon. You may think you've lost everything, but I told you I was observant. With enough patience, I will find something. _

**Hey! A threat! I was worried you'd stay passionless forever.**

_I could say the opposite is true for you._

**Maybe, but I didn't ask to change. I just embraced it and accepted myself. From the way you said it, you were practically begging to be let out. Even when not instinctively pushed to it, I'm still disappointed. This human male descends from on high, frees you from a "hormonal prison", and you do absolutely nothing to thank him for it. You barely respond! If anyone's scared, it's you. I can smell it. You're afraid it'll come back just as easily as it left and shatter your fragile little situation.**

_This is true. I will not lie, but unlike you, I can recognize some positive character development when it comes my way. He doesn't know the depth of what he's unintentionally done. One day, I will thank him, but now is not the time. _

**Coward.**

_If this conversation is going to devolve to name-calling, I'll get out now. I suggest making peace with yourself, because we've got a long journey ahead of ourselves. _

When I got back, the sun was dropping below the horizon. I said I was going to bed, and suggested everyone else do the same because we'd be going through the town to the east as early as we could. Inside, I asked Gusoyn about where she came from. She said the demon realm. I asked what was in it and she said that's where the demons were. I said, "Wait, you mean Hell?" She said, "No, the demon realm. Where's Hell?" I was confused. "Hell's where the demons are. Aren't you a HELLhound?" She looked surprised, "Of course I am, but the demon realm's where the monsters and demons are." I was getting frustrated at this, "No shit, but isn't that Hell? Do you even have an underworld?" Gusoyn was getting confused at why I wasn't getting it, "We have an underworld. I've been there. Lots of fire, lava, and demons." Desperate, I said, "But that's Hell." Autriel chimed in from above, "This isn't going anywhere."

We all turned in. I took the couch, Gusoyn took the rug, Autriel took the roof. I went to lock the door but realized that, 1: It might rain tonight and Autriel would want to get in, and 2: The lock was broken anyway.

I turned off the lights and considered the events so far. They were too ridiculous to believe, but undeniable. I'm not culturally unaware, but I had an idea of where these two came from. Once I got back into internet service, I'd check to be sure. The idea of that created a cascade of theories. If they were previously fictional creatures created by humanity, then that further reinforced the idea that I must be going insane and made all of this myself. I didn't feel crazy, but there couldn't be another explanation. Whatever the case, I'd try to test this possible "simulation" as much as I could. Coming to that conclusion, I went to sleep.

I woke again to muffled speech somewhere inside the RV. I stayed perfectly still on my back and looked around in the darkness. Two yellow-orange pilot lights stared at me a few feet off the ground and I heard the slow tearing of fabric. The muttering continued and I was getting flashbacks of the first night with Autriel in the tower. Does all monstergirl sanity go out the window when the sun sets? Oh wait, they didn't have any in the first place.

The moon came out of the clouds and shone through the window above my head. Yep, Gusoyn had taken off the shirt I gave her and was tearing at it with her hands and teeth. Only thing she had on under it were the "armor plates" I found all the hellhounds with, but it didn't leave much for the imagination. What's the point in making metal armor if it's only job is to protect the modesty of the wearer? It didn't even do that well and they didn't look like blacksmiths to me.

I was going off on a tangent to try and distract myself from the terror, but when the light hit Gusoyn, she gave a great tug and ripped the shirt in three. She pounced forward and yelled, "Give it back!" I was still paralyzed.

She crouched on top of me, and said in desperation, "I know you have it. Give it!" She pointed a razor-sharp claw at my eyeball.

I had nothing. A combination of being ambushed in the middle of the night and being ambushed in the middle of the night(in a different way) left me able to make only confused choking noises. She stared at me dead in the eye and blankly said, "You don't have it. Even if you did you don't know what it is." She sat down on top of the blanket in defeat, the depth of loss finally coming to her.

A definition:

Ass Overload: A medical condition resulting in temporary loss of higher cognitive function caused by experiencing an inconceivable amount of ass. (See also: D'Carlo Watkins)

In one final act of desperation she burst into a flurry of blows against my chest, all the while yelling, "Why not?! You've got to have it! Where'd you hide it?!" When the fury was spent, nothing was left. Her eye fire reduced to just smoke and she fell forward in defeat onto me. I had unintentionally hurt someone more than I ever thought I could without understanding how or why. I felt horrible guilt and had no idea what to do. Almost instinctively, I lifted one arm up and began scratching her head and behind her ears(which, don't forget, were on top of her head). She whispered, half asleep, "It's not fair. It's never fair."

Hellhound tears smell like sulfur.

The next morning, Gusoyn was gone. The shredded shirt was, too. I got dressed and went outside to wake Autriel. Of course, she was already up and was missing her crutch. I congratulated her on losing it and asked, "Yo. Where's Gusoyn?" Autriel replied, "She went off on her 'patrol' fairly early this morning. Surprising she didn't wait for you. That reminds me for whatever reason: When we get into town, would you acquire another shirt for me? I'm sick of burlap. I'm thinking… hmmmm… maybe red? Yes, red will go well with green." I snorted, "Yeah, you'd be the Christmas dragon." She gave a confused look, "Christmas?" I said, "Wintertime holiday of ours. Red and green's the color theme." She seemed happy with this, "Delightful. Well, remind me when it occurs. I would be more than happy to celebrate it with you. Back to the original subject, she should be back in about an hour. I'm sure she has a lot on her mind if she went alone."

I gave her a suspecting look. Autriel had a smug expression on her face, "If something happens and I'm not aware of it, you should worry." Later on, I introduced her to microwave popcorn and made some discoveries. She couldn't use touchscreens and when she pulled the inflated bag out of the oven, she held it from the bottom. I immediately said, "Don't grab it from there!", but she just asked, "Why? Will it break?", completely oblivious to the burning oil in the bag.

Afterward, she got a few kernels in her teeth. As funny as it was, she was getting more and more agitated the longer it took to get rid of them. Eventually, she just drank a mouthful of water straight from the tap, ran outside, made a face of intense concentration, then blasted out a cloud of steam from her mouth. She turned and smiled at me with shiny white chompers. In the future, I like to confuse dentists by telling them one of my friends gets her teeth steam-cleaned.

An hour later, Gus returned and privately apologized for the shirt. I said while I wasn't any sort of therapist, I'd be more than happy to help her through anything she's going through. She said it was just something she'd have to sort out herself and we headed out on that note.

We entered the town through the commercial area. The entire place was abandoned. Power was still on in most places, but the lack of people made it very eerie. I told Autriel to come inside the RV in case a human decided to take a potshot at her. Buildings and infrastructure hadn't been damaged much. There was the occasional burned down building, sinkhole, or destroyed car. We noticed a downed power line with the remains of...something near it. It looked like something decided to take a swipe at the wire and was immediately converted into a large pile of charcoal.

As we cruised our way under an overpass, we noticed a gigantic pile of rubble near an academic-looking building. The mount of earth, concrete, and rocks was nearly the size of a house. At first, I wondered if the light was messing with me, but then I realized that the inside and outside of the building was in constant motion. The closer I got, the more I could look in the windows and realized that it was teeming with "ants". I put ants in quotes because their top half was human, but their bottom half was an ant. Like a big ant-taur. They were absolutely everywhere on the property.

It was an easily distracted person's nightmare. None of them were ordering others around and they all were doing something. Two easily lifted a sedan and carried it off to do who-knew-what with it. Most of them were busy tearing up the parking lot asphalt and also carrying it off. Some were using tools, but the rest were just using their bare hands. Terrifying to watch someone cup her hands like a shovel, plunge them into a road, rip out a chunk like it was straw, and then whistle while she worked. They were all whistling the same tune. It resonated in my head.

I had no idea what the end goal of their project was, but they were making an inhuman amount of progress toward it. I drove by without slowing down and wondered at the amount of miracles that had to have happened for me to just have survived.

But, I finally saw signs of humanity in the form of...well, signs. Plywood boards were spray painted with arrows and messages and were propped up in intersections. They advertised the stadium to be a safe place and to "pls trade!". It was easy to find and I told Gusoyn and Autriel to separate from me for a bit, so they didn't think the monsters had learned to drive. I parked the RV perpendicular to the parking spot lines because the cops had worse things to deal with. Armed with the shotgun and a sack of items I could part with, I exited the vehicle and approached the three guards. The first had an M14 rifle, the second a hunting rifle, and the third carried no gun, but the string of pipe bombs around their belt made them just as dangerous as the others.

I called out to them, "Finally! Something with all human parts!" The one with the bombs replied, "Good to see you too! Come on over." I did so and commented, "So what's in the stadium?" Pipe bomb guard spoke again, "As many people as we could fit. You aren't planning on staying here are you?" I waved dismissively, "Nah, not long. I just want to see what you got to trade."

"Trading? Great. Guierrmo's set up the start of a post on the first concession stand on the right as you walk in. He wears a Yankees cap." I asked, "If you can't fit everyone, where's everyone else?" The guard defeatedly said, "There's a few other places people have fortified, but people have scattered otherwise. They think that if they get away from everyone else, they'll be fine. Everyone knows campus though, and it's easy to defend." I thanked them for help and went to find Guillermo.

He wasn't difficult to spot because he had ripped off the concessions sign and painted "Trading Post" on the wall. He was going through a box of canned goods when he noticed me and beckoned over. There were a few people around and I heard more. "Fine gun you have there, son. Willing to part with a few shells?" I flatly said no. "I actually wanted to buy some." He got irritated, "Ammo? We're a university town, not a damn army base. All of the weaponry comes from farmers running into town and whatever the chemistry kids can cook up."

"Sorry." I looked confusedly at the crate of rifles and .22 ammo and asked, "Then what's with all of this?" Guillermo looked over and said, "Oh, yeah. We started giving those to civilians a while ago. See, .22's still pretty dangerous, but just one only pisses a monster off. Lot of 'em have real tough hides. The shock of the bullet if you hit is enough to scare 'em, but none of the guards'll use one. They're quieter than most and attract less attention, so we give em to everyone else for personal defense. Monsters'll get used to them soon, and then we'll have a problem." I asked another question, "Then why not make some melee weapons for when that happens? I managed to fend off two of them with just a baseball bat."

The trader looked at me like I was insane. "How are we supposed to fight things when some of them can break our limbs in one good swing? They move faster than we can blink! Imagine if they were actually trying to kill us! If you're gonna lie to me, do something believable." I shrugged. "Maybe I got lucky." He sighed and said, "Fine, keep your story."

I changed the subject, "So what about the military and shit? Isn't the army gonna come and protect us?" Guierrmo glanced from inside the box of soup cans, "You know, you'd think that. They did send one of their survey drone planes above us yesterday. You know, the ones with the big nose. Not going to expect an organized response from the army until they secure the big cities. I heard a rumor that some 'advisors' are gonna come in a day or so and organize us. Some actual combat and firing discipline would be nice. Most of the reserves are probably going to go to the capital. A lot of people are fleeing there. Are you?" He pulled out a can of chicken noodle and muttered, "Ugh. I hate celery."

I replied, "Nah, we'll just buzz around it. We've got enough supplies and gas to skip it entirely." Guierrmo pointed to me with a can of tomato base, "You hold on to your fuel, friend. It's getting really valuable really quickly. Everyone's filling up their generator for the long haul and you might be thinking about nabbing yourself a few extra jerry cans." I said, "Sure. Hey, what's everybody's thoughts on all this? Their morale." He paused for a second and said, "Honest, but happy. People are taking it pretty seriously, but they're happy for the moment that we haven't been wiped out within a day."

I traded some food for clothing, a basic toolbox, and some empty jerry cans. Goodbyes were said and he wished me happy trails. On my way out, I heard a conversation from the guards. The one with the IED's asked, "You know what would be nice?" The guard with the M14 was clearly annoyed. "All right, indulge me Kieth. What would be really nice in the apocalypse?" Bomb guard wistfully said, "A shower."

As I was walking back, I heard the sound of metal dragging on concrete, so I jumped inside a small apartment building. The door was fortunately unlocked. Power was out. Still hearing the dragging, I quickly ascended the stairs to the second floor. Being as stealthy as possible, I entered a room and crept across to a glass door. Outside was a balcony that overlooked the street below. The balcony itself had a granite wall coming up to waist height if I was standing up. Slowly opening the door, I heard the dragging right below me. I also heard a disturbing amount of giggling. I peeked over the side.

It looked like some crackhead wielding a terrifying-looking sword. She was swinging the thing around and whacking whatever came into range. Mailboxes, bushes, lawn sprinklers, grass; She tried slicing anything that came into arm's reach, like a child with a stick. Except, the stick was a demonic, black and red blade with an eyeball at the rain guard. Her clothes were tattered, as if she was some homeless person who had stumbled upon an infernal relic.

Weird thing was, she wasn't holding the sword. It was a part of her left arm. The same material as the blade had spread up her limb to her shoulder and then up her neck, as if it was some kind of kind of fungus or cancerous growth. Instead flesh or plant matter, it was this black and reflective, like obsidian. Also similar to obsidian, it wasn't flat or smooth at all, and frequently came into points. Since she wasn't looking in my direction, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to kill something that looked like it belonged in The Shining.

But I fumbled. As I started to put shells in the breech of the shotgun, I dropped one on the floor. To me, it was the equivalent of an entire orchestra blasting out as hard as they could. The monster whipped around, looked me right in the eye, and leapt off the road, out of my sight. In a nonexistent, but deafening voice, the universe declared to me, "You have fucked up now."

Time to hold position and listen. I looked through the window back into the room, which I just noticed was a living room with a pretty sweet TV in it. I heard a window shattering downstairs. It was inside. I heard the thumping of barefoot steps downstairs. It wasn't moving much because it was also listening. It was listening for me to try and escape. I heard also wood breaking; Probably a door. Then, there was this period of dead silence.

From what I'm told, combat(especially indoor) is like this. Long stretches of boredom followed by periods of absolute terror and panic. I was so anxious, I was nauseous. Being hunted is one of the worst feelings in existence. Then, horrible luck hit me. When I opened the door, I carefully closed it behind me, but it didn't latch. A small gust of wind made the latch bolt think this was a great time to suddenly secure itself. It made a clicking noise, followed by the door nudging itself back into the frame. Pretty sure I pissed myself. I held my breath, and hoped the monster would dismiss it as the wind. I heard… a moan? Oh no. Rapid movement up the stairs.

thumpthumpthumpthumpTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP

The door to the room exploded into splinters and I briefly froze in terror. Why was it smiling? How could it be happy? It got halfway across the room with the characteristically unnatural speed before I put a shell of buckshot in her stomach through the window. It's muscles locked up enough for her to only slam into the door. The glass shattered, but it got up quickly and began another charge toward me. I put the second shell between it's collarbones. That punched a hole through it disgustingly and it was pushed against the wall. With a moan, it slumped downwards and didn't move again.

Nothing happened for a solid thirty seconds. I was pretty sure it was dead, but another thirty couldn't hurt. After that, I carefully approached the corpse. The entire left arm was covered in the black carapace. Some of the neck and left torso were also covered. Upon closer inspection, she still looked like some meth addict and smelled like cigarettes and cat piss.

Where the armor covered hadn't been penetrated by the pellets. It was cracked and I could see the shot inside, but this was a seriously tough material. The sword itself looked stereotypically evil, what with the black and red color scheme and the big red eye in the middle. I swear it was looking at me.

I wondered if I could somehow remove the sword or at least get it off the possessed person. Putting the gun away(but still within arm's reach), I reached for it. Maybe I could take it and lock it away somewhere so nobody would find it again. Burying it in the woods would be a good idea. Completely ignoring the lessons of Boromir and Jumanji, I grabbed the cross guards and tugged.

The carapace broke like it was made from crackers and the sword came off ridiculously easy. Instantly, visions of violence and conquest filled my head. Prophecies of power, wealth, and charisma beckoned. With this weapon, I would convert everyone around into slaves and dominate as far as I could see. My strength would be incalculable and my will limitless. All I had to do was to follow the sword.

But that's just stupid. Who wants all that kind of power? Sound like a gigantic headache to me. I shook the blade and said, "Cut that shit out."

There was a brief pause and then it spoke to me. It didn't actually use words. It just sent meaning directly to my head. I felt like a very important layer of privacy had been stripped away, as if it answered my questions before I knew I had them. It congratulated me on the quick defeat of it's previous host. I asked out loud, "Can you read my mind?" It returned a conditional affirmative. What the limitations were, I don't know. I asked another question that I'd been meaning to ask the others, "What am I to you?" I was the scabbard, the wielder, the host, and the means to an endless end. A temporary source of energy and entertainment, wrapped into a convenient mobile package, at least until it found another host. Apparently, the host and the object being drained of energy were two different things. Currently, I had the most potential for violence that it could detect, so it chose me. One last question, "Are you just some oversized, evil-looking blade?" It claimed to be a blade that cut not only matter, but soul. It could slice either or both at the same time, at will. The "cutting of the soul" made me think of some kind of energy drain. Speaking of, I was getting kind of hungry. I wondered if the blade had to eat anything.

It replied with a hissing voice, "I prefer the souls of the innocent."

I got up and started for the door, "How 'bout a bagel?"

*psychic white noise*

"How about two bagels?"

I got in the RV and drove back to where the girls and I separated. They seemed very nervous at first, until they saw the demonic longsword sitting in the sink, then they just got mad. How could I have been foolish enough to fight a mind-controlling monster by myself, pick it up, speak to it, and then bring it back into the house? I said it was fine and I don't think it's possessed me yet. I brought it back so it didn't dominate and then try to kill anyone else. I figured we'd bury it on the side of the road or something. They chewed me out some more and then I said while I respected their concerns, I don't think we're in any danger. The blade sent a broadcast that it would do it's best to prevent harm from coming to me. It would possess and then enslave any intruder that came our way. I wasn't worried about bandits, though. Because of the other two monsters, I hadn't spotted the slightest hint of wildlife. Not that I knew how to clean an animal anyway. We drove another forty minutes, dodging a few still cars until we got to the outskirts of a much larger city. I could see the smoke of a few burning buildings.

Just outside I realized something: I felt terrible. My head was under pressure, my nose was clogged, and I could decide if I felt like sweating or freezing. It was a fact I had to recognize. The stress and moving around had finally gotten to me and I was sick. I pulled over into the parking lot of a hotel, propped a pillow on the arm of a couch, and layed down. I waited for Autriel to come inside, and she did a few seconds later. Gusoyn curiously peeked over the headrest of the passenger seat.

I declared, "Everyone. Autriel, Gus, ...Sword. I'm sick. I don't wanna endanger everyone by driving like this, so for the time being we're staying put. Sorry 'bout this." The sword said that its name was whatever I said it was. I only had to grab it for a bit and it would heal me if I gave over bodily functions. I adamantly said no, got up, and rummaged through the toiletries bag. What I was looking for wasn't there. "Ugh, dammit. Knew I forgot to ask him for some." The other two monsters immediately began accusing Sword of causing this.

Gusoyn was curious, "What are you looking for?" I sniffed and said, "It's this liquid medicine. A particular name. I forgot to get it, but didn't think I'd need it." Then, Autriel got an idea. A horrible, but well-meaning idea. She suggested that the healthy ones go out and find this medicine. I admitted I knew where it would be, and asked for a piece of paper and pencil. I drew out the logos of a few chain grocery stores and drew what a bottle of the stuff looked like.

I said, "All of those stores have some kind of back door. Disguise yourself, bring Sword to read the mind of somebody, get their information, head around back, wait for a worker to use the door for a break or to take out the trash, quietly knock 'em out, prop the door open, steal what you need, then go out the same way. Do you want me to write this down?"

Autriel said with confidence, "It is a simple task. Theft is usually beneath me, but this sounds thrilling and I'm sure we'll be back soon enough. How hard can it be?" I replied, "Don't kill anybody. If you do, don't tell me."

The following is my best guess at just what happened in that store. None of them are pathological liars, but they'd stretch the truth without a doubt.

It started out like it was supposed to. Autriel spotted a store after flying high and Gusoyn carried Sword. Ten minutes into the walk and it started to rain. Forty into it and they'd entered the human protected area. While it was modern times, the group still recognized militaries when they saw them. Autriel flew to the top of a tall building and spotted where they needed to be, while avoiding the sniper in an apartment building a block away. They had to bypass a few checkpoints, but otherwise found their way to their destination. They found two humans walking away from everyone else, mugged them, and took their ponchos. Autriel had difficulty because her tail stuck out, her hand/claws barely fit in the sleeve, and having her wings under nylon gave her claustrophobia. Gusoyn accidentally tore her sleeves, but fit into her's fine. For the both of them, the legs, arms, and glowing eyes(basically every part that the poncho didn't cover) were dead giveaways. Ignoring this and considering themselves masters of disguise, they moved on, also wielding an oversized, demonic sword.

They found a store matching the damp drawing's description and scouted it out. They noticed one customer, a young woman with a baby carrier at the outside of the parking lot. She was heading toward the store and the three monsters figured this was a good target. Darting between car to car as best their sizes could manage, they grabbed her behind a van, away from the sight of the guards at the front of the door. Gusoyn put a paw over her mouth and placed the sword in her hand. The woman went rigid for a moment, then relaxed and gestured. Sword had control. She was a regular shopper here and knew where everything was. "Now", she said, "Let's drop the baby and find the back door."

Autriel said, "Wait, we can't leave this baby here. Human babies are fragile. If we leave it out in the rain here, it'll die." Gusoyn looked over, "Don't tell me you care about it." Autriel threw up her hands, "I'm not saying I do. Richard said not to kill anybody." Gusoyn countered, "We're not killing anything. It's its own fault that it dies if you leave it in the rain for too long. She was annoyed at this point, "I'm not going to argue this here. Sword, decide for us." Sword got up, "Since I'm the mother of it, leaving it to die would cause a lot of mental instability and it's harder to get control when she's actively fighting me. We can always give it to Richard and he can dump it somewhere. Also, call me Ruth. New name." Everyone agreed, at least to the first request. The carrier had a roof, so the baby wasn't getting directly rained on. The group snuck around to the guardless back door. They were fast enough to get away from the front guards investigating the mother's disappearance.

They waited for someone to come by and sure enough, the old man with the garbage can never saw it coming. Using his body as a doorstop, they moved in. Autriel volunteered to guard the door and infant, since her disguise was the weakest. When they realized Ruth couldn't drop the sword, they used, to her relief, Autriel's poncho to cover it. Grabbing the cold syrup was actually fairly uneventful, since most other people were keeping their eyes on the main door and everyone was already in jackets. Delilah only had to stop once to put Gusoyn's tail away and the hellhound made sure not to look at anyone.

I'm pausing here for a second because Ruth heard some people talking in the isle next to her. Word travels surprisingly fast. Since monster attacks weren't organized and usually individual, they'd avoided major population centers. It was unknown if monster numbers were increasing, since it had been only a few days, but there was one group that stuck out. The speaker described them as a "gang of black marauders, with fiery eyes, tearing down the highway in an eighteen-wheeler, and pillaging every farm and town they came across". They used guns, swords, and spoke weird. Thing was, they were looking for(enslaving) members into their crew with promises of "findin' th' cap'n again" and "plunderin' erry town 'til we be east as he." Their name was unknown.

In other news, and based on what Ruth told me, humanity was having a difficult time understanding monsters' goals. Because of popular culture, people were generally ready for the mindless hordes, not intelligent elite units. Casualty rates were lower than expected, since the vast majority(if not all) of the invaders' goal was kidnapping, not killing. Despite their power, they were targeting low population areas. A monster would grab one human, and then would never be seen again. Humans had figured this out pretty quickly and were instinctively clustering together as much as possible for protection. One thing that confused everyone was that the monsters weren't coming from any one place. Nobody reported seeing one appear yet, but they were coming from wilderness areas. Humanity's technological advantage confused them for now, but they would learn, and quickly.

The trip back to the rear of the store was when things started to go off the rails. Gusoyn smelled something and dragged Ruth into the meat department. Meanwhile, some poor stocker boy rounded the corner with a float full of empty cardboard boxes. Obviously, Autriel heard him coming long before and ambushed him when he got farther into the room. She pushed him down with one shove, putting her foot where his head would land on the concrete(so he didn't die). She pinned him, putting her other foot (Keep in mind, her "foot" would go by "claw" in most circles) on his stomach and her right claw over his mouth. She snorted smoke into his panicked face and brought out a digit of her left claw, a tool used to easily slice through steel, and pointed it toward his face. "Nothing personal kid, but I have some venting to do right now. You're going to have to bear with me."

Normally, this would be caught on camera and armed people would go investigate, but the woman watching the cameras was busy looking at the destruction in the parking lot. An ogre, but not the more popular kind(the one with layers) was having a great time hurling vehicles toward the store. First a moped and then a convertible crashed through the front doors as the guards dove for cover. The ogre herself seemed to have figured out human weaponry and used cover as well. Unknown to the infiltrating monsters, everyone unarmed was running to the emergency exits in the back of the store.

Gusoyn and Ruth exited the meat department with the hellhound carrying a commercial trash bag full of cold cuts. They met Autriel as she was finishing up. "I thought the commotion was something you did. Aren't you worried about all the screaming?" Gusoyn shrugged, "Don't know. Don't care. Wasn't me." Ruth said, "Let's go." Gusoyn looked at the man on the cement floor, "Why is he n-" Autriel interrupted, "I had to keep him quiet and relieve some stress." Suddenly, they heard the "employees only" doors being burst open and the screams of the panicked civilians became full volume. Ruth repeated louder, "Let's go!". Hearing the crowd closing, Autriel blew a warning cone of flame, to make sure her group wasn't seen when the people rounded the corner.

The first few blocks were touchy, but once they got out of the controlled zone, it became much easier. The return trip was uneventful. As they walked in with their loot, I asked, "Did you get what I actually asked for?" Ruth tossed me the bottle. "Sweet! Thanks. Also congrats on your new form." I noticed the baby carrier and wheezed. In a pained whisper, I begged the question, "Why?" Ruth shrugged, "It's the first one we found. The small thing came with." I knew a little about baby care, since I had a few cousins, nieces, and nephews. But we were absolutely unequipped to deal with him. Whatever, I'll deal with it later. Gusoyn came in the doorway with an obnoxious amount of meat. Again, I asked, "Why?" She thought for a moment, then said, "It was there. They didn't stop me." When Autriel also came in, I asked her, "Why didn't you stop her?" She started, "I honestly didn't th-", but Gusoyn interrupted her and said, "It's for the hoard." The dragon's eyes glassed over and she recited as if it were the most sensible thing in the world, "For the hoard."

Soon after, I learned that Sword had changed her name. I also learned the baby's name was Aurelio. I asked, "What's up with these Italian names?" Gusoyn smelled like wet dog and my attempts at helping her dry off were met with violence. I tossed Autriel a towel, preoccupied with trying to clean everyone up inside a confined space. She placed the towel on the couch and sat on it, smugly looking at the chaos in front of her. Aurelio reminded me he existed by coughing and I absentmindedly grabbed him and plopped him onto the other side of the couch. Autriel was not pleased, but I wasn't paying attention.

The baby wasn't what some would call a "wee baby". I.e.: A baby only a few months old, unable to walk or talk, but could crawl. The noises they make are different as well. Aurelio was probably half a year old. I have to point out that I've handled a few infants, but this guy was different. It was like holding a brick. I mean, he still had the chub, but he was also surprisingly buff. He was just sitting on the couch, very busy… being a baby I guess. He silently stared at Autriel with his hands clasped, as if sizing her up. Autriel glared back at him from the other side. Everyone knows babies stare, but she didn't seem to get this and took offense.

She grew more disgusted and asked, "What do you want?" Aurelio processed this, then gave the brilliant pickup line, "Le-fle-fle" and pointed at her. He returned his hands together and waited expectantly for a response. Autriel, somewhat sadistically, blew a puff of flame toward him. Not close enough to do any damage, but it was clearly meant to panic him. I didn't notice.

Aurelio didn't give a shit. In fact, this was the funniest thing he had ever seen. It just blew his tiny mind and he exploded into laughter. He didn't just laugh, he GUFFAWED. The whole thing was so funny that he was having trouble breathing and started beating his kneecaps, like he was about to say, "Oh, ho ho! That slaps me on the knee!"

Babies are wonderful little things because they are completely immune to even the most basic of nuances. Autriel looked at him with an increasingly softening expression. Maybe this pudgy, noisy, smelly, and moody miniature human knew something she didn't. She unexpectedly took satisfaction from making this little guy's day. As mirth filled the corner of the couch, she wondered what she could do to be happy for once.

"Nature abhors a vacuum" as the saying goes. If something is removed, something else will eventually take its place. Five we were, and five we remained for some time.


	4. Brain Pains in the Grain

The next day, I was still sick. I usually don't like taking medicine, but in this situation, the less inconveniences I had the better. When people are ill, their sense of humor tends to get stupider and they'll laugh at the weirdest things. I was the same. We were having a conversation if my cold would move over to Aurelio and I got sidetracked.

"It's all about perspective. I mean, it's like a baby we've got here, right? *snort* From the perspective of a loving mother, you'd think he's great and all, but that's biased *cough* because you made it. You've spent so much time on it, *sniff* that you don't realize you've actually made a piece of shit baby. Can't tell anymore."

"It's not until you take it outside that you notice people are crossing the street just to avoid you. That is, *wheeze* until you find someone who just doesn't give a damn about courtesy. 'Here's this little guy.' 'Agh! Your baby's a piece of shit!'" *Athsmatic laughter*

My plagiaristic ramblings aside, being forced to sit down for a bit probably did some good. It was a bit of time without having to react to anything outside. Mostly. During this time, I got the chance to observe my surroundings and the people in it.

I firmly believe people give off a passive "I am here" signal that can be increased or decreased in many ways. Through posture, facial expressions, and a bunch of other stuff, anybody can give others a hint at their personality. It's probably how experienced guards and investigators can spot a guilty person by just watching them walk. Apply that to yourself, and as long as you look like you know what you're doing, most people won't stop you. That, and just carry a stepladder wherever you go.

I already mentioned how Autriel flew, but her posture reflected this, too. She had long strides and rarely looked at the ground. Unlike how she was in flight, she was also pretty stiff. Walking was probably just a means of going from point A to B. Hell, she was so flatfooted that I could hear her stomping around outside the RV. If anything, I think she wanted everyone to know where she was.

Gusoyn was different. She was light on her feet and more flexible. Autriel could fly, but Gusoyn could climb a tree just as fast as the dragon could take off. Nobody here could hold a candle to her agility. That being said, her walk reflected her cynical, but not paranoid, personality. The only time I can hear her move without paying attention is when her claws make noise on the hard steps into the RV. Maybe she wasn't expecting an ambush, but was always prepared for it.

Ruth was also different. She had a stiffness to her that wasn't like Autriel's. It was the awkwardness of somebody who hasn't quite gotten the hang of their body just yet. It wasn't as bad as Aurelio's flailing about with his chubby fists, but it wasn't perfect. The chitin(I guess. I don't know what kind of material it is. It's like obsidian.) had covered her forearm and she was starting to handle her lopsided center of mass. I could tell because one leg was slightly bigger than the other. My problem with her "signal" wasn't that it was big or small. It was loud, but it also gave off the message: "Avoid at all costs". She gave me the same vibe as a cultist with creative practices. She didn't twitch, or mutter, or anything like that. The fact that I couldn't nail down exactly what it was that was setting off alarm bells in my head made me really uncomfortable. All I did know was that her eyes hid an intelligence that had a pretty flexible morality and didn't much care about social norms.

I guess I should mention Aurelio, since he was also a passenger. He didn't do much, other than sleep, giggle, and shit himself. Ruth said she would change him, if I did everything else. I agreed. The non-humans viewed him somewhere between something to be dismissed and an inconvenience. He usually didn't get in the way of anyone and was easily stepped over. We managed to snag some essential supplies from the hotel's snack shop, like fresh water, Slim Jims(Gusoyn's new favorite), diapers, and a bundle of movies for the DVD player. I took a very refreshing shower, surprised the power was on.

Two things had to be settled. First, was what to do with Gusoyn's haul. Autriel calmly said she'd take care of it. I asked how, but she only gave vague replies about "Leaving the rest for everyone else.", and "Flaunt our wealth to the masses before it spoils". I said we didn't need to draw any attention, but she affirmed that the only thing we would be creating is respect for us. If anything, they would stay farther away. As long as we didn't get into trouble, I didn't care.

Second, we needed more of a road plan. Creation of one was pretty simple. Everyone was interested, so I gave a basic geography lesson while I was looking at the map I nabbed under the clerk's desk. Aurelio's only goal was to eat it. Cheyenne didn't have a beltline, so we would use some three-digit highways to get around. Traffic was getting bad with people coming in from rural areas. After that, we would speed across Nebraska, taking detours where needed. The state's all agriculture anyway.

Night was falling by this time, and I was crashing. We moved the RV to the back parking lot, so Autriel could sleep undisturbed by traffic and not be seen. When it got dark, she walked outside. A sound louder than anything I'd ever heard before destroyed the peacefulness of the evening. It was this inhuman roar at the volume of a train and sounded like it should've come from Jurassic Park. I threw open the door only to see Autriel looking at the sky and Gusoyn's bag in one hand. Even the cricket's shut up. While I calmed the startled Aurelio down, Gusoyn muttered on the couch, "No sense of subtlety." Ruth was undisturbed.

That night, I had another dream. Two, actually, but only the first one was like the previous one I had. Again, I was sitting down in the blackness, but this time I wasn't moving. A familiar voice rattled around in my head.

"Hey. Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you. Why do you sound like you're talking inside a closet?"

"That's because I am, but that's not important. Not important. Listen, you've been doing a lot of running away."

"You talking about recently, or my whole life?"

"Uh… both. Both. I sacrificed a lot to get you this. I wasn't expecting any appreciation, but the least you can do is take advantage."

"You're not making any sense. Come to think of it, I've done a lot of self-defense lately. Aren't you happy?"

"No-no-no-no. You've just received something nobody else has right now. I made you special! Come on! Use it! You're the only one with the playing field leveled! You're the only one who can make them respect!"

"Am I just some puppet you're using to prove your moral point?"

"No! Well, yes. You are. But, I'm having trouble explaining it. Tell you what. I'll call in some favors and get a friend of mine to send you something. She's real creative."

There was a brief period of silence, and then I was suddenly sitting in the middle of a deserted street in a city. I got up and looked around. City blocks stretched on for as far as I could see, yet I could see no people. It reminded me of some pictures of Renaissance London, except not dirty. Actually, the place was immaculate. The stone brick roads shone in the ambient light. Most apartment windows were lit and open, and every one gave off the sounds of cheery laughter. I walked down the road and couldn't spot a piece of litter. Shops off in the distance gave off the mixture of fragrances. The smells of flowers, baked goods, and grilled food came from down the street. Off in the distance, I could see some kind of capital building. I wasn't sure if it shone in the afternoon light, or it just glowed.

Things started to go downhill when I heard a voice coming from one of the apartment windows. My voice. Listening to yourself speak from a recording was always awkward, but this voice had a bitter and corrosive tone to it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I spoke back to the window, "Very. Wish we had cities like this back home."

The voice changed to another window across the street. It continued to switch to random windows whenever it paused. "It was far from perfect."

I shrugged, "Everywhere's got its issues. What was wrong with this one?"

"Their world was rocked and instability followed. Troubled times fell upon everywhere. The economy suffered. The people wanted protection, but they sacrificed their freedom for it. In looking for strong leadership, they gave power to the church. Faith alone, they believed, would be enough. The tithes would be worth it."

"Well? Was it?"

"The tighter you hold sand, the more slips through your fingers. Yes, they produced the most devoted heroes, raised from birth. Yes, they had one of the largest armies in the world. Yes, they knew their role as the keystone in the plan to fend off the invaders. And yet…"

"And?"

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The selfishness of the nobles became obvious. No one will listen to the moral dictations of someone they mistrust. They lost the hearts of the people, and eventually they lost their paladins. A zealot is useless without belief."

"What happened?"

"Eventually, a group of disillusioned youths were seduced by the very forces they had sworn to fight. Ironically, the people backed this knowingly or not, and exchanged one extreme for another."

"So this is what it's like now? Glad to hear reformations are interplanetary."

"Oh, this is what they want you to see. You forgot to ask who the invaders were."

I felt a blow on my forehead that left me reeling for a second. Then, the whole city subtly changed. Street oil lamps became rusty and unused. They were replaced as the previous background glow muffled and became a yellow ambient light. The paint was dirty and peeled in the few buildings that had it. Other structures had simply collapsed into rubble, with no one to rebuild, repair, or even take away the remains. The road was pockmarked with potholes and littered with debris. A few piles of shed skin lay in a corner, because while the trash cans were mostly empty, no one thought to use them. Running water could be heard in the sewer grates, but getting near them was a test of constitution. The cheery laughter in windows slowly morphed into cries of glee and moans. That, or just simply screaming. Visibility was reduced to a few hundred yards due to this mysterious miasma. It wasn't quite fog, but I certainly felt it in the lungs and it tasted somewhat sweet. The entire place was like someone had been handed a city, but had no knowledge or interest in running it.

I was dumbfounded, "Where is this? Who let this happen?"

The voice continued to come from windows. "The 'who' and 'where' aren't important. It's the 'how' that you must understand. You may have decided to fend for yourself, but this matter is much bigger than you are."

"Is this really what it's like now?"

The voice sounded like it was reading a particularly depressing section out of a history textbook. "The royalty was undermined, and the rest of the nobles were subsequently turned. With no moral leadership, the rest of the city fell swiftly. A once proud nation became the greatest trophy of the invaders, and they proceeded to make it their own in no time at all. Without the military support, other nations lost the breathing room to do anything other than protect themselves. The church took it the hardest. Their bastion of righteousness had fallen in one night. Being the only group capable of creating fighters strong-willed enough to take on the enemy became a much more difficult job once they lost confidence in the people. An attempt to retake it was made, but it only served to put salt in the wound."

I was getting flustered, "Why are you showing me this?"

"Because now they are here, and humanity is more vulnerable than ever. The only thing keeping the moral well-being of the people in your era is the law of the land! This is made even more difficult that they aren't coming from one place. Humanity only does well against a clear and present danger, and the invaders know this. Your nation, possibly your world itself, may implode on its fragile self and be thrown back into a new dark age. Do you understand the urgency of this?"

"Are you telling me this is my future?"

"Oh no. This is a possibility, should this delicate balance be broken. Let it serve as a warning to you. And before you give some optimistic viewpoint, let me give you a taste of what you face."

It began raining, but instead of water, it was these glowing magenta pellets raining from the sky. They disappeared in a small flash of light when they impacted anything. The air quickly filled with a sweet-smelling miasma. As the "rain" fell on me, I began feeling this warm sensation all over. I had no problems breathing, but I kept trying to gasp for as much air as possible.

Suddenly, the capital building seemed closer than before. Against my will, I started shuffling for it. I wanted to cry out, but I was too busy wheezing. My legs slowly moved step by step down the road. I could see silhouettes of various humanoid shapes outside the building. They all turned and outstretched their arms toward me.(Some more than two) There were dozens of them.

The voice was back, but in greater volume. "Now do you get it? Now do you understand? This isn't something you can run from and hope someone else does the hero work! If nothing is done, the world as you know it can be replaced by a debilitating bliss that will never be shaken off. If you care in the slightest about it, you will do something. You could try to fend them off, but the conflict will be eternal. The church failed then, and if you choose to create another, it's failure will be inevitable here. Your only other option is something in between, or another angle."

I still couldn't speak. I wanted to ask why it had to be me. In my head, I screamed in frustration as I ambled toward the beckoning figures.

"Here, only a handful of individuals in a single night sealed the fate of an entire world. Just one person, at the right place, at the right time, doing a precise thing, can trigger events that will resonate for centuries. One action can send echoes throughout culture. Doing this intentionally requires a trained eye and decades of experience, but it has been graciously made much easier for you. However, what you will do and if you will succeed, is still in the future."

It was all abruptly cut back to total blackness, except there was this normal-looking woman dressed in business casual and glasses standing over me. She winked and said, "Alright. Message sent. See ya later, buttercup!"

I woke up yelling at the top of my lungs and drenched in sweat. Gusoyn was awake and looked at me like I was about to bolt out the door in nothing but my boxers. I sheepishly looked away and said, "Sorry. Bad dream." I walked outside to go to the bathroom, but wasn't expecting the grass to be black. I openly exclaimed, "What the hell is this?"

I heard a deep inhale from above me and Autriel said, "Ah, a demon realm." I answered my own question, "So it is hell." Still breathing heavily like she was enjoying some mountain air, Autriel said, "I believe we've been over this."

I don't know what she was enjoying, the air seemed stagnant and heavy. It smelled… sweet. I knew this scent. I just had a nightmare about it. I panicked and said, "Where are we?" Autriel remained in her reclining position. "Oh, same place as always. Give it some time for the energy to dissipate, then it'll be back to how you like it. In the meantime, I'm going to take in the nostalgia."

I was confused. "What energy.?" Autriel gave me an equally confusing look. "Well, magic energy, of course. Specifically, demonic energy."

Oh yeah. Of course it's magic. She said it so matter-of-factly. "Say what now?" She, and I kid you not, tutted and said, "Ever wondered how I speak your language?"

Come to think of it, no. I hadn't.

She continued, "Language is simply the organization and packaging of thoughts into something communicable. Our species obviously requires humanity, therefore must have some way to understand them, yes?" I nodded. "Through instinct, we are all able to turn our thoughts into the sounds you need, regardless if we know how. Words may change, but the ideas never do. You unconsciously fill in the rest. Don't worry, this is my true voice, and you haven't been embarrassingly talking to yourself for all this time. "

I immediately tried to fight my own head, but didn't know where to even start. She stopped me after I started making a weird face. "I wouldn't think about it too hard. Magic has rather loose definitions and I'm surprised it even works here. It's been a desert of mana ever since I got here, except for… well don't worry about it. I'm not surprised you didn't know about it."

I refrained from telling her about the magic circles I drew in middle school and left in restrooms. My friends and I did it to freak out the staff and make them think there was some kind of cult in the school. I was the only one who put actual effort into learning the arcane grammar because, in the back of my mind, I hoped one would actually activate. I usually went mage in RPG's.

I changed the subject. "So, uh, what about this weird atmosphere? Is the sun dimmer?"

Autriel looked up. "A little, but not for long. Another fact: All life, especially sentient life, carries magical energy within them."

I feel like I've heard this before.

"It slowly radiates out from every being. Our species' energy is a different… flavor that changes the terrain when there's enough of it around. It may seem oppressive to you, but it's home to us."

I looked out onto the landscape. I could see normal earth a few hundred yards out. In a circle around me, the grass was a navy blue and weeds a phosphorescent purple. The bark on trees darkened. I thought it was actually kind of touching. They didn't have to worry about home because they brought it with them. Too bad they were changing mine, but the idea was still moving. I coughed and summarized, "Welp, they got what they wanted and we need to get moving. This fog is making my thoughts... foggy." Autriel muttered up top, "It tends to do that."

Traffic was a bitch coming into and going around the city, but going out was just fine. I noted that once the monsters and the drivers themselves realized how vulnerable still cars were, traffic rules would go out the window. In about half an hour, we reached the western border of Nebraska.

**Okay, take (what feels like) twenty-five of my first bit in this stupid thing. Richard convinced me to participate, but I don't see the point of "my words being permanent" and why everybody has to know about us. I already go to those PTA meetings like he asked me to, and all I do is sit in the corner. His only real supporter is Autriel, and even the most patient people will get tired of her smug, philosophical monologues and rants about Peter Gabriel. Doubt she reads any parts other than her own. Bet I could say something really embarrassing here and she wouldn't know. **[Editor's note: Long pause] **I can't think of anything. Whatever.**

**I'm not some cheesy romantic, but I have to admit she and Richard fit well together. They're both equally weird. I fit because I drag them both back to reality. Richard calls me a cynic, but I'm just always prepared. Nothing prepared me for sitting in a chair and spilling my life story to a machine, or sending the kids off to that prison called "School". **

**Seriously, take a moment to consider the similarities between the school building and a dungeon. Everybody's confined in one stone building. You're stuck there most of the day. (That's just begging for disease to spread.) You're forced to pay attention by the state. You can't see your family until you get out. There's even a bell! Ding! Time to eat. Ding! Time to sleep. Who knows what kind of disturbing knowledge they're cramming inside the little ones right now? Talking about it makes me want to charge over there and get them out as fast as I can. The only people who went to school back in my world were snobby politicians' sons, and insane wizards. I guess they're going to come out of it smart or something. **

**Speaking of magic, how come the machine knows what I'm saying? Magic sends the meaning across, but it's not alive. I'll have to ask Autriel. She knows more about this stuff. **

**I'm probably supposed to spill out "my feelings" or whatever was going through my head at the time on here. I think Richard and I both knew the flimsiness of our relationship then. First we beat each other to pieces, then suddenly I'm tagging along. He probably thought I was planning to stab him in the back later, but then I decided to have an emotional breakdown that one night. I don't blame him for being on edge. I didn't even know what was going on myself. Whatever.**

**Other than that, we stuck together for reasons I don't really know. Maybe we were all lost. Maybe we were all in a strange and new world, so we stuck together because we knew each other. No, that can't be it, because we didn't know anything. **

**It was like being dealt a hand of blank cards, except nobody knew how to play, who the dealer was, or who went first. Yeah, I think we all stuck together as players. As much as I hate to admit it, I think Autriel's right. No matter where or when you are, the idea of the soul never changes. Guess we all huddled in that cramped vehicle, avoiding any outside influence, and under a shaky peace because we were scared of the unknown. I am so sappy, this is embarrassing. So, at the point where he's putting this in his story, we were heading out from Cheyenne and across Nebraska. We crossed the state in about seven hours with no major events and a few detours. We stopped for the day just over the border of Iowa. Unfortunately, this tranquility didn't last. It was Richard's fault, but then again, Autriel never got into some important details about spiritual energy, so I can't really blame him. I do blame him for being so apprehensive, though. **

Yeah, that's pretty much it in summary. We spent the night outside Nebraska City, but I was planning on going south through Missouri. I had a lot of pent-up anxiety I needed to get out. When (I assumed) everyone was asleep, I snuck outside and went off to go do some guy stuff. When Gusoyn woke up the next morning, she sniffed the air and looked at me. "Seriously, we're all here and you decided to… Forget it. Hope the tree was everything you hoped it to be."

Shit. She knows.

Later on a private, but very important, conversation between the monsters happened.

Autriel began. "So, it seems what little stealth we had is now gone."

"I think you blasted it away with that food-sharing stunt.", Gusoyn scoffed.

However, Autriel was defensive, "That was a demonstration of power. It did attract, but it also asserted our territory. They shouldn't have followed."

Ruth interjected, "And now?"

Autriel sighed, "And now, he might as well have lit a signal fire. My senses aren't as acute as Gusoyn's, and, oddly enough, I don't know how sensitive Ruth is, but he's the only one with significant spiritual energy I've found so far."

The hellhound agreed, "I still feel some, but I figure one of two things: They haven't used magic in so long, they lost the ability, or energy hasn't come in here as quickly as we have. Maybe he's some kind of prodigy, or he's been blessed."

Ruth concluded, "But, I don't think any 'demonstrations of power' are going to keep them back any longer."

Autriel replied, "Quite right. To be honest, I do not think the gods may have followed us either. There are no arbiters to end violence. We may be physically superior, but I feel we may not be mentally prepared for the inevitable conflict."

Gusoyn shuddered, "Yeah. I panicked a little when he didn't go down as quick as most other humans. Yeah, humans are a lot more deadlier than they used to be."

Ruth nodded, "It was almost embarrassing. I lost a host in a few seconds. However, if we don't keep moving. We'll have our own to deal with." She looked toward Autriel.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"You're the person who at least seems to be in control of the situation."

"Well, the metal box on wheels is very fast, almost flight speed. He only needs to recharge it once a day, so as long as we keep moving, we're fine. I only have a very loose idea of where exactly we're going and how far away that is, but we are inevitably going to stop. Wherever that is will be very...uh... dramatic."

Gusoyn snorted and took on a pessimistic tone, "Being ripped apart by our own kind like parched animals in front of a watering hole. Oh, and here there's no deity to swoop in and save us! Wow, for the first time, I might be missing the stupid kumbaya 'Let's all get along' attitude of home."

Ruth suddenly became inquisitive, "You don't have to keep up the act of pretending you don't care what happens to Richard."

Gusoyn arched her eyebrow, and in turn her eyefire. "Pardon?"

"Come on. I've got nearly one hundred percent control over this body. I notice everything and forget nothing else. Your posture, your pulse, your eyes, your breathing. You care. I'd like to keep our conversations as open as possible to keep things smooth. You know, girl talk. (As much as you're capable of it.)"

Gusoyn sneered, "Look at that! I thought Autriel was the schemer. Hey, you wanna go back to being just a sword again?"

"I'd ask you to not. I'm already putting thought towards our inevitable conflict and it'll be much more convenient with a body." She moved toward Gusoyn and poked the end of her sword on Gusoyn's lower stomach. Her recently-turned red eye gleamed in the morning sun. "But don't lie to me. It doesn't do anyone any help, especially yourself. You think you've lost something. From what I can tell, you've gained something: Control. Whether or not you're thankful is irrelevant, but from a group standpoint, you're going to have to do some soul-searching, because our survival depends on you being your best."

Autriel spoke, "What are you? Some twisted form of cupid?"

Ruth turned toward her, "You're in the same boat. And a ship that goes nowhere isn't very useful, is it? What I'm saying is: Richard is a wildcard. We don't know what he can do. Neither does he. But he subdued the three of us with relative ease. Perhaps he can do the same on a larger scale. He just needs some… motivation; Something he cares about; something that forces him to stand his ground; something delicate."

Autriel was forced to acknowledge that, while coming from a survivalist standpoint, Ruth was right. She got the insinuation, and it was on the money.

Ruth began walking away. "Anyway. I need some food and I believe the both of you have a lot to think about. The clock is ticking, and what I'm thinking of takes a lot of time."

The hellhound and dragon stood there, daydreaming. In a short period of time, they had gone from one end of a spectrum to another, and they might go back again. What was wrong with going with their gut, even if theirs was a little… wild? If he tries to run, just drag him back. It's good for him and builds character.


	5. Monsters and Medicine

I have to hand it to humanity. When shit hits the fan, people really know how to communicate. Cell service had returned, and with it, critical information. While Gusoyn was snacking on a Slim Jim, Autriel was sunbathing, and Ruth was out for a bit, I got on my phone and tried to figure out what the hell the situation was.

In short, people had started to cluster around populated areas. I'd figured that after Wyoming. So far, I'd been trying to avoid major roads and towns, so I patted myself on the back for that. The military was currently handling it like an internal uprising, except they were encouraging people to coalesce. Heavy vehicles were having difficulty with the mobility of the monsters, and aircraft were used exclusively for recon. On the other hand, civilians were approaching this like an alien attack. Those who couldn't(or wouldn't) move to safe zones fortified themselves. Militias were formed and people were starting to identify the races of monsters and their methods.

One thing neither of them expected was the mental damage. They were confused that the goal of the monsters' wasn't extermination, usually. The current hypothesis was some kind of hypnosis. Most people who were exposed to a monster for too long before being rescued, were found to be charging back into the wilderness. Mental clinics were just as common as regular ones. People exposed for too long suffered other internal changes, including nausea, possibly Stockholm syndrome-induced depression, and a lack of desire to eat. Patients could be forced, or forced themselves, to eat, however complained that it wasn't enough anymore. Doctors were stumped.

Fairly satisfied, I waited for Ruth to get back, started up the RV, and headed east. After half an hour, I found a roadblock of cars. I wasn't really expecting it on this on highway 2, but I took a detour north and then continued on my way. Two hours in, I saw Osceola and figured I'd drive through. Fate had other ideas.

I came across a scrap-made gate on the outer edge of town, next to a gas station. It was fortifying the road, but other than a few cars on the side, nobody was trying to get in. It wasn't really a gate, but more of two wooden towers created on the shoulder. I maintained my speed and shifted into the right lane, when I heard the crack of a rifle and slammed on my brakes. Fuck, Autriel. She was on the roof!

Not anymore, because she busted through the rear window with shocking dexterity while I was smashing the brake pedal. She had a panicked look on her face. Gusoyn hid away from the window and Ruth did the same. I rolled down the window, leaned out it, and yelled, "Human! I'm human!"

A loudspeaker on one of the towers came to life. "What are you? Some kind of fucking Trojan horse? Get out of the car."

I yelled out, "We're not gonna harm anybody! Just let us through!"

The klaxon did it's best to portray the amount of sarcasm this guy was giving off. "And what? Then dump off your monster fuckbuddies? Stay right there and we'll get a van out to you. You're going to be fine, okay?"

But the others wouldn't. I heard the sound of a car starting up and realized time was short. Nothing but open grassland everywhere. Fuck Nebraska. I suddenly stomped on the accelerator and swerved left, across the median. The RV wasn't exactly zippy, so the tower guard decided to take a potshot through the windscreen. The round easily penetrated the windshield and ricocheted off of Autriel's forearm scales. She roared and crouched, holding her arm. Other than the shock, she seemed unharmed.

I came up with the brilliant idea of zig-zagging while I could hear over the loudspeaker, "Martin, you trying to kill him?"

I managed to start a U-turn, and then the speaker said, "Looks like just one shot isn't gonna stop him. Aim for the tires."

All took cover, except Autriel, who continued to crouch. She was busy hyperventilating and Ruth was strangely quiet. Gusoyn was roaring out of the open window. The open fucking window. I started to scream something, when bursts of four shots from two different places ripped through the RV. Mostly superficial damage, except both rear tires popped and a bullet hit one of Autriel's horns. It made this deafening *Ding!*, kind of like a tuning fork struck with a hammer. She flung herself as close as possible to the wall while screaming, "Why me?!"

Control went to shit, so I turned left as best I could, perpendicular with the road. I yelled at the rest of them, "Get out! I'll keep Aurelio! Meet you later!"

All began to protest, but I pointed to the door and bellowed, "Fuck off! Get to the trees!"

I've never seen three individuals book it so fast. Ruth swung around to the door with shocking elegance and opened it with her shoulder. Autriel used a combination of her legs and wings to achieve obnoxious levels of speed. Gusoyn was the last out and actually propelled herself off of the steps so forcefully, the entire RV shook. They were already halfway to the trees by the time I looked back and noticed a white van approaching my position.

I don't actually remember much of what happened after that. They came up to me. I tried to explain the situation and that I had a child. They thought I was in some kind of shock. "Oh God, what'd they do to him?" I ended up getting pissed and then they all tased me. Pricks.

I woke up in cot. It smelled and felt like a hospital bed. I looked up and the ceiling was all tarp. I looked around and found I was in some kind of mobile clinic. It reminded me of when I watched M*A*S*H, except there was a lot quieter. They had placed Aurelio on a table with a towel over it. He was asleep. I saw one of the nurses with her back turned back to me, and instinctively tried to get up. Turns out, I was bound to the bed with these leather straps.

Immediate panic. The nurse turned around and speed walked toward me. She spoke to me in this artificially kind voice. Like a fast food drive-in speaker, but more infuriatingly condescending. "Now calm down. They're just there to make sure you don't hurt yourself. I'll tell doctor O'Neil you're awake."

I wasn't having it. "I'm fine. Won't hurt an ant. Get me out of these."

She maintained the fake smile and rehearsed voice, "Don't feel bad. Everyone else has them at first, until we make sure you're okay. Look, we're not inhumane. We even kept your son next to you. I'll be right back." Before I could get a chance to retort, she spun around and walked away. I yelled, "What if I gotta scratch my nose?!" She ignored me and I reverted to maintaining a simmering contempt.

Her shoes make a clopping noise on the concrete floor and I was still stuck. I thought nurses were supposed to listen to you. I looked to my right and saw a guy sitting up and staring out blankly. I noted he wasn't bound and wondered what the hell that guy did that I didn't. Then, I noticed he was rocking back and forth to the beat of a song he was singing to himself. It reminded me of those chain gang songs I heard when I watched old movies with my grandfather.

"Gotta find a girl with one eye. One eye's all I need."

"Single big one glowing in the sky. One eye just for me."

"Maybe she'll come when I die. One eye to set me free."

The idea of being pinned down right next to this madman was terrifying. I immediately stopped looking at him. Where the hell was I and what did I need to do to get out? Doctor O'Peel, or whatever his name was had better hurry up.

Meanwhile, the monster group had evaded their pursuers. They still kept moving north, following the lake shore. Gusoyn spoke to the rest mid-run, "Didn't we just have a conversation about not stopping? Not knowing where this horde is and how far away it is, is really making me uncomfortable."

Autriel had switched to low altitude flight, maintaining speed with the rest of them. "I don't know where they are. If you really want me to, I could spend the time performing an energy detection ritual. All I know is that he's now stationary, and they are inevitable. Rather than forming a timetable, let's just focus on getting him out as soon as possible."

Gusoyn replied, "Have a plan?"

Autriel pondered, "Maybe. First thing humans do when they take in one of their kind, is they bring them to some kind of doctor. They're always relying on people who tell them 'It's going to be okay', then cut off a limb. Let's circle around and look for a way in."

Eventually doctor O'Neil came to me. He was annoyingly condescending as well. He spoke to me like I was some kind of trauma victim that wasn't even listening to him; Just asking me a bunch of questions. "Describe your captors." "Yes, they were your captors." "No, I do not know what happened to your car." "Oh, you're the one who caused that fuss on the road." "Do you need a minute?"

What I would like is for you to get me out of these binders, so I can knock some sense into you, you overeducated dick. He decided to take another approach, "So, how did you get all of those wounds? It seems to me like you decided to pick a fight with a dog."

"I did. Thumped it on the head and now she follows me around. It's a weird situation."

"There's a crisis outside and you decide to fight a feral dog. What of the other monsters inside your vehicle and the child?"

"Kid's adopted for now. No idea who the dad is. Mom's one of the monsters, except she's got a sword glued to her arm. Other two are who-knows-where. Even if I did know, I certainly wouldn't tell you. Can you stop looking at me like some kind of cultist?"

He ignored my question, and continued writing on a notepad. "Why wouldn't you tell me? We're trying to gain as much information as possible. Their capture and study would certainly help us understand them."

I was irate. "Because you'll probably dissect them or some shit! To be honest, I'm a little worried you're gonna jab fifty needles into Aurelio over there now that I've told you whose kid he is. I thought there was some kind of first contact protocol or something you've got for them!"

The doctor spread his hands out and shrugged, "They've made no response to any attempt at communication. All they do is raid vulnerable settlements. They speak our language, which is most interesting, but it may be an advanced form of mimicry. Otherwise, they've given us nothing. Why do you defend them?"

I still tried to be defiant, "I'm not! I don't think…" I didn't have a response I wanted to give him. Right now, he must be thinking I'd been unwillingly dragged along by them and must be rationalizing it. If I said I had willingly brought them along, it'd make me a special case and he'd never let me go. I went back around to the beginning. "You gonna let me out of these binders?"

The doc gave out a sigh. "No. I don't suppose you do. The binders are there to ensure you don't harm yourself or others. You don't seem that dangerous, so I'll have staff remove them in a while. In the meantime, try to rest and collect yourself." He then walked off. How come I can hold my own against monsters, yet can't get out of these?

Time passed, but there were no clocks. I was worried I was going to go insane in there and I'd never been traumatized like the rest of them. I mean, taking the forced downtime to think, it was weird. There was the guy next to me, singing about eyes, and then there was another muttering about "sexy blue jello". Across from me, an unbound man kept saying, "Grimsby, this is weird. What do I do?", and then giggling. Autriel had explained that monsters were an all-female race, requiring human males. Biologically, that was pretty cool, but their creativity was on another level.

Again, I had no semblance of just how much time passed. The only idea I got was from the plastic windows outside, making a crude sundial. On the other side of the wall behind my head, was a radio operator. Maybe it was a radio, or she was some kind of communications person. Either way, she spent most of the time talking. Over time, I learned that there was an increasing amount of monster activity outside the borders of town. They were being unusually bold, and were probing the defenses. They were looking for gaps in lines of sight, and local leadership was trying to find any before they did. As the sun went down, I noticed everyone's tension increased. Except for the patients, who seemed more comfortable, even eager, like they knew.

Meanwhile, the monster group had identified a tent city and the main hospital cluster. They moved to a nearby trailer park and waited inside one. Autriel had casted a scrying spell and was sitting down with her eyes closed and palms out. She gave off a dim, pale blue light. Occasionally, she would move her fingers. Ruth used the tip of her blade to carve a crude map into the shag carpet, based on Autriel's description. Gusoyn broke her silence. "See him?" The dragon stirred, her eyes moving around under the lids. "Mmmm, no. Not yet. I've a general idea of where he is, but it's much easier when I have a part of him with me." Gusoyn snorted, "I think he'd be happy to help if you asked nicely." Autriel retorted, "You were there as well when Ruth suddenly decided to lecture us." Gusoyn changed the subject, "Come to think of it, you know I'm not very good at the more complex magic, but why've you not been using it around him?"

"Oh you know, I don't want to have him go into culture shock. It seems beings like ourselves and magic are just myths here, so I want to ease him into the new reality. I've explained the basics, such as the forms of energy and their relationships, but it would be best to slowly feed him information. The last thing I want to do is scare him and have him retreat. Though, a crash course may be our only option."

Gusoyn said, "Oh I get it. Like breadcrumbs."

Autriel affirmed, "Exactly. He's not ready for the full metaphorical 'loaf' yet. We'll give him a taste for it, and then see if he wants to continue. Start having him looking for things he hasn't seen before, teach him the basics, and then get more complex from there."

Ruth chimed in, "Have you ever taught a human magic before? I thought we were all born naturally with the ability."

The dragon shifted in her cross-legged position, "Erm...No. I haven't. Of course it comes to us by instinct, but I don't think so with humans. It would certainly be a waste if I didn't try. Oh. Got you."

Ruth changed the subject, "What have you found?"

"Found him. I think I found a possible opening in their perimeter as well. It's kind of weird to scry without anyone trying to detect me. Though, I've made a few of the staff turn around and look at nothing confusedly. They might have more aptitude than we think."

"Focus, dragon."

"Right. I see him. We're going to need all of those doctors out of there. Either a distraction, or something that would make them want to leave their patients. Hmmm. Something that would make those stubborn hacks run from their posts."

The group pondered. Gusoyn suddenly perked up, "I've got an idea."

Both of her companions said simultaneously, "What?"

"We'll have to find someplace dark and dreary, and that might be tough, because all I see is grassland. I skimmed a copy of that encyclopedia that one guy published a few years back. Ruth, how extensive is your monster knowledge?"

Ruth turned her head, yet still continued drawing. "I have existed since when we used to slay men. Why?"

"What do you know of the Atlach-Nacha?"

Autriel turned to her with a grimace on her face, "Never found anyone less pleasant. By the gods, what are you thinking?"

"Let's go kidnap somebody. I'll explain on the way."

Around this time, they determined I was mentally stable enough to remove my binders, however I was forbidden from leaving the bed. The evening sun was showing through the plastic window.

Ruth and Gusoyn found a young man with relative ease. They discovered him trying to scavenge a pharmacy then crammed a towel in his mouth. It was much harder to find what Gusoyn had mentioned, but they caught the scent of the venom the arachnid produced in generous amounts. They found her in the basement of a house, spreading web everywhere in a chaotic, but noticeable pattern and muttering bitterly. Autriel volunteered to stay outside.

With Autriel gone, Ruth did the talking. It was good to have a diplomat that can switch on and off her emotions as needed, because this little arachnid was bitter as all hell. She was the same color scheme as Ruth, though the latter claims no relation to her.

"And what doesss the ssssentient ssstick want with me today? I sssee you brought a dog as well. Kind of an odd pair you are. Which one isss the massster? The pet or the tool?"

Ruth was unfazed. "I'm aware of the reproductive practices of your race. We require one of what you specialize in making, with transformation at a certain time."

"I feel nothing for thisss human. You would have me do thisss, then take him away? Do you feel nothing for traditionssss?"

"I do not, but I do have something that needs done. We both know the effect your venom has on you. Wouldn't it be nice to have some temporary relief? Perhaps it would help clear your mind and find someone you care about in your own… unique way."

The arachnid hissed. "Fine. I'm assssuming you know how much he will need? You know the level of teasssing thissss isss for me, right?"

"I'm sure you'll survive. As I stated before, you will mostly likely be better."

The Atlach-Nacha injected her venom into the sleeping man. He briefly woke, but then fainted again. On the way out, Gusoyn roughed him up a little, to show signs of struggle.

Afterwards, they met up with Autriel. She asked, "Everything go well?" Gusoyn answered, "We have an hour. I think they'll kill it too quickly. I think we need another distraction."

Autriel snorted a puff of smoke, "Well, there's always arson." Gusoyn fireman carried the man and they made good pace toward the town. Autriel spoke again, "Are you concerned about the morals here? I'm quite sure this is permanent and it's a fate very few humans would be fine with."

Ruth replied, "Morals and disgust are a thing I have, but I choose to acknowledge them or not. Whichever is more convenient." Gusoyn said after her, "Maybe, but I really get the feeling that the ends justify the means. Maybe one day this'll haunt me, or maybe I'll be comfortable in knowing I had the guts to do what had to be done."

Autriel said, "I see." They all pondered as they headed toward the opening in the wall Autriel had found.

Back at the clinic, I noticed some of the patients being moved out and another being placed in. One particularly beat up man was being carried on a stretcher. One of the nurses came over and talked to the doctor.

"We found him outside. He's suffered some bruising, but no broken bones. There's also a point on his chest where it looks like two large needles entered."

The doctor moaned, "Oh what? Vampires now? I swear, I'm opening up mythological books more than my practice ones nowadays. We'll get some blood work done. Just put him with the rest."

Poor dude. I didn't know there were vampires. I guess another thing to add to the list.

Nothing went on for half an hour, but then he woke up. He seemed fine, but complained of feeling hot. The nurse came to him and took his temperature. She giggled and said he had a small fever. Looks like he caught a cold. Another thirty minutes went by and then I absolutely soaked the hospital cot.

The new guy started convulsing. I had a friend who was prone to seizures, so it wasn't the first time I'd seen this. Two nurses came over and put their hands on him. It was when they drew away I knew something was wrong. Suddenly, the man started becoming brown and fuzzy. Then, I shit you not, twenty terrifying seconds later there was a gigantic spider in his place. Not gigantic compared to spiders, I mean gigantic compared to humans.

Now generally, I know about how matter can't be created or destroyed. There wasn't enough dude to make a spider this big, but if I was standing up, it would be head and shoulders taller than me. Didn't make any fucking sense. Everyone was screaming. Even the patients had come out of their stupor and began screaming bloody murder. The spider decided it should make some noise too and made something between an inhuman screech and a slurp. It scuttled(if anything that size scuttles) out of the tent opening, ripping it twice as wide.

Meanwhile, as if sensing the chaos, a group of monsters made it through an overlooked blind spot in the perimeter, and began incapacitating guards. After the surprisingly well-coordinated strike, the rest of them began pouring in. The only reason I was aware of this, was the sudden yelling into the radio next door.

Then the commercial building next to us spontaneously combusted. It's like the universe just couldn't handle all this crazy and decided to take it out on whatever was nearest. All I could see was the muffled red glow from behind the tent. I grabbed Aurelio and crouched behind the bed for a little bit. When all of the unbound people left, I got up and began to run away.

That lasted until the doorway, when I was suddenly flung off my feet at the knees. I fell forward, but instinctively caught Aurelio and let him down onto the ground. Something had bound my legs together.

I whipped around to face a woman, except her bottom half was a green snake. It was probably the most tame thing I've seen so far, except for her face. Her face was anything but tame. This long, forked tongue stuck out of her mouth and then quickly retracted.

She spoke, revealing a pair of fangs. "Looks like I'm the first one to find you." She leaned closer and I moved my head back until it touched the dirt. "Oh, and looks like you've already got a little one. That's hot, like a MILF, but a man. A DILF, it would be."

The fangs got closer. "Then I suppose you've been through this already. However, that's going to be absolutely nothing compared to now."

My ass is grass, and there's about to be a snake in it.

Conveniently, three silhouettes appeared in the doorway. The demented voice in the back of my head was mildly disappointed. Every other voice was relieved. The lamia released my legs and began making a loud hissing noise. Autriel made that Jurassic Park roar right in front of me. Ruth smacked on the metal doorframe pipe, making the lamia flinch with every strike. Gusoyn also yelled.

They exchanged their curses, but the lamia slowly slithered backwards and out the opening the spider made. (Still rampaging out in the tent city, by the way.) I knew she wouldn't be far. Gusoyn pointed in the direction to go, so I scooped up Aurelio and bolted in the direction she pointed. I asked Autriel if they'd spotted a parking lot. She asked me what that was. I told her to think of a place where there were a lot of vehicles like the one we'd been riding in. She made a concentrated face, and started thumping her fist against one of her horns, making a clanking noise. She suddenly opened her eyes, "I know one!" We shifted our course to the left.

We found a lot full of modified vehicles, and miraculously, found our RV. It was next to an auto parts store and looked like they had begun work on making it into a mass transport vehicle. The rear window had been hastily switched with plexiglass and the tires had been replaced. The outer shell still had bullet holes in it, though.

I didn't care. It was still our car, and there was nobody around to stop me from getting it back. The door was unlocked, but the keys were missing. We raided the auto body shop office and found them on a peg. We bolted back, started up the RV, found it to be at half a tank, and drove like there was a horde of monsters at our backs. (Which there were.)

We drove east, and I don't know how long, maybe less than an hour. I found a cluster of houses around a church and decided to pull over. There were no signs of life, so we decided to call it a night and get some much-needed sleep.

No rest for the fucking weary, though! The sleep was deep, but I awoke around midnight. There was this hot and dry breeze blowing against my face. I was sleeping on my side, so the first thing I saw were a pair of amber eyes, illuminated by a pair of pilot lights above them. Not this shit again. However, for some reason, I was somewhat looking forward to what she had in store this time. Gusoyn didn't even acknowledge me waking up and just began speaking.

"You know, I've been thinking."

I sniffed.

"You're really weird for a human."

"How's that?"

"I can't tell if you're really brave or a coward."

"Why?"

"Because on one hand, you fight all three of us and me head-on. You don't panic while stuck inside an apothecary's tent, you don't take any sass from Autriel, and you're able to stay calm around Ruth. You even got out of the RV in front of people with weapons, so we could escape."

I said expectantly, "But?"

She scooted closer, and her breath dried out my eyes. "But, you refuse to speak about the tense little relationship we all have here. It's like fighting people is easier than just talking to them for you. You're throwing me for a loop."

"I mean, if I'm being honest here. I'm more than a little scared. Things with us have just worked out, and I don't want to rock the boat."

She was silent for a bit, then spoke again. This time, it was a much more serious tone. "I also have a confession to make."

"Shoot."

"I don't trust others much. I hate it when I'm told to do something. I hated it so much, I decided to become the one who gave the orders. Because of that, I didn't have anyone to open up to."

I replied, still laying down. "I had a few. I didn't socialize a lot, so I understand what you mean."

She put up a claw. "But (and this is a big "but" here), you're more than a little different. It's given me more excitement over something than I ever thought I could have. Remember what I said about throwing me for a loop? All of the humans I've met were stupidly brave or pathetically cowardly. You've ended up somewhere in between. You don't want to brave the outside world, yet you will furiously defend what you do know. You are… the first person I've met that had no expectations or problems with me. You've never dragged me into anything, yet also never wished me harm."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. All I've been doing is trying to be a decent person. Must be rough for this to be the first time you've seen one."

She continued, "To be honest, I never really knew just how tight my heart was until I got here, but sometimes, the world grabs you by the wrist and directs you where to go. Maybe it's time I made the best of this test and never ask why. Maybe it's something I shouldn't question, but it'll be a lesson learned in time."

I was really moved. "Yeah. It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right."

She sighed, the glow in her mouth briefly brightening, "Here, I've had the time of my life. I've never felt more comfortable, more accepted, and more appreciated, and I want to thank you for it. It's going to be a big adjustment for me, but just give me some time."

"Well, for what it's worth, you're welcome."

"Saying thanks is nice and all, but I think Autriel's words are getting to me. I don't have the fingers you have, so I can't make you anything. I'm not nice like you are, so I don't know what to say to make you happier. I've never understood humanity, so I can't buy you anything from them. I feel inadequate, at least in this much more complex world."

I took a breath, "Honestly, if you want to do something for me, I'll take it by the heart you put into it. I think that's the real value of gifts."

"Well, other than going out and killing something, there is one other thing I'm inherently good at."

I got what she was talking about. "I mean… There's usually windup to that sort of thing."

"That's just for you humans. I don't know why you do it so much. This is about you, though. You can face off against death, but immediately shy away when a monster, no, a girl, starts talking seriously to you."

I fidgeted under the sheet. "Not gonna lie, I'm just a little nervous. I don't start things well."

"Partners compliment each other. And believe me when I say I start by instinct. Give yourself more credit and ask 'What do I really want to do?' The only person holding you back is yourself."

"I..."

"It's hard to make arguments when you don't even believe them yourself. It would mean a lot to me to repay you for everything you've done."

"Isn't there supposed to be more to it than that? You know, love? This isn't just some instinctual thing?"

She scooted closer to me. I could feel the heat of her eyefire and could see right into the amber eyes. "But I do in both ways. You've got this strength and will to not let yourself be pushed around. You stand up for yourself and don't show fear when it really counts."

She went on, her breath feeling like a toaster oven in my face, "Yet I also love that you are a good man. I love how you gave us a chance and took us under your wing. We're scared. We're all just as scared as you are. But, you've created and defended with your life this place where we can come to understand ourselves, each other, and the new rules of the world. You project this aura of calm and comfort, and have allowed all of us to be within it. There were many times of weakness when you could've laughed at me, but didn't. So yes, I do love you. I've witnessed a lot of what you've done, and I like what I see. Do you not love me?"

That was a big question right there. "I want to. I really do. I'm just hesitant. I've been burned before."

She leapt up on top of the bed and pointed downwards at me. "Then from one jaded cynic to another, let me say this. I swear, I will stick with you until one of us is dead. I don't want a ceremony or anything like that. I like the path you've chosen, and I want to walk, run, stagger, or whatever, down it with you for the rest of my time."

I nearly cried. I'd been acting like a nervous child. Now it was time to take control of myself and do what I wanted. Despite all of this great insight, all I could think to say was, "Sure."

She immediately launched herself straight upwards with this demented grin on her face. On her way down, I said, "Welp. Fuck it."

So I did.


	6. Going with New Flows

I obviously didn't sleep much the rest of the night, even after we(To be honest, I) were done. Gusoyn, content with herself, eventually fell asleep on top, like a heated blanket that tossed and turned a lot. This was fine, because, maybe in response to the heat of the moment, a cold snap hit that night. It was one of those fronts where you can suddenly smell the pine trees and it never got warm until March.

I really don't want to talk about how it went. I'll be honest, it's more than a little embarrassing, but I also feel like that it's something a lot of more confident authors can write about. I didn't do anything cool, like smoke a cigarette and reminisce. I'm sure Gusoyn would like to brag about it some. Maybe one day I'll get the balls to talk about it.

**He said "Woah" a lot.**

That's it? Fine, then.

Again, I didn't sleep much. I think I did briefly, but woke up again early in the morning with hair shoved in my nose and mouth. Gusoyn had managed to get herself entirely backwards and one of her legs was over my face, while her right arm and head were hanging off the edge of the couch. I managed to slowly ease myself out of the couch without waking her, or at least she didn't show she'd awoken. It was 7 AM. Early, but not ridiculously so to start quietly moving around.

There were some things I needed to do:

One: Take inventory of the RV and see what the mechanics had removed and hopefully added.

Two: Introspect.

Three: Stop nervously putting it off and call home. They were an hour ahead in the time zone anyway.

First things first, a quick inspection of the cabinets and minifridge found them empty, save for a few half-full bottles of water. It seems the crew also had the time to replace the rear windscreen with a piece of plexiglass, but didn't bother with the bullet holes. I spotted a few tools lying around, suggesting they were getting ready to remove the furniture. They were some basic hardware, except for this halligan bar lying next to the cabinet. That was pretty unusual, but would probably come in handy in the future. As expected, the shotgun and hunting rifle were nowhere to be found.

In short, we were empty on food and had no weapons, but I was thankful that we had our mobile home in the first place. That was a ridiculous amount of luck. Speaking of getting lucky…

I felt different. There was the feeling of success; A sort of, "Congrats, idiot. Wasn't a point there where you took the wheel, but I guess you can check that off the bucket list." The only thing I regretted was thinking up the line, "Mmmmm. Crispy." In situations like that, stuff tends to leak out of my head. She laughed, so it's okay.

No, I felt this weird sense of calm. Everything was going to be fine. Nothing else mattered. It's all good. Internally, I felt there was a change, but it seemed to be a good one. Externally, I thought my skin had a different texture to it. Maybe it was just the dry weather. There were no rashes and It didn't look wrong.

Finally, I walked out some ways from the RV, so I could make a call. First, I called home, but then realized that didn't work. Then, I called my dad's work phone.

It rang and it rang. Then, it rang some more. As I was about to expect a machine, I heard a clicking noise. A very familiar voice answered, "Hello?"

I was so relieved. "Hey Dad, it's me."

"Son! It's so good to hear from you! I was worried when you wouldn't pick up a few days ago. I'll be honest, we were too afraid to call again."

"Yeah, runs in the family."

I heard some other voices on the line. "So Richard, how've you been?"

I sat down on the grass. "I've been fine, real fine. Dodged a few bullets, but I'm pretty safe now."

He made a sign of relief. "That's great to hear. Your mother and I had to evacuate out of our house because of these… things. Still haven't seen one, but they burned down uncle Edward's house. Right now, we're in temporary housing closer to the center of town. You know, those apartments next to the high school. Other than that, we're fine as well, but worried sick about you."

"Yeah dad. I'm with a group heading back to the east coast. Family sticks together, right?"

"Right. I know you took that job to clear your head, but with all of this going on, I'm happy you decided to come back. I'm also happy you made some friends as well."

"Yeah, me too."

"You seen any of those monsters? Your mother thinks they're aliens."

I turned and looked back toward the RV. "Yeah, quite a few. There's different kinds and they always come out of the wilderness. Not very organized. They're scared of guns, though, so that's working for us."

"All right. You be safe now. Speaking of, I know you said they weren't very organized, but we've been hearing rumors of a big wave of them in Iowa. Razed a town. You're ahead of that, right?"

"Oh yeah, far ahead. If everything goes well, it won't be long before we're there in Virginia."

I heard someone calling to him. "That makes me so relieved. Look, I've gotta go, son. I'll tell your mother I talked to you. I know we'll both sleep better knowing you're safe."

"See ya, dad."

Click.

Happy that I had finally done what I was putting off for so long, I returned to the RV. Autriel was awake and seemed to be waiting for me. "So, you finally talked to them?"

I tripped over a stump. "Yeah. They're doing fine."

Autriel gave off a ponderous look and asked, "Then I would like to know: Why continue east?"

Good question. "I don't know. I guess to get back with the family."

She gave a shrug, then replied, "Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they are very kind and open-minded," She then gestured toward herself. "But do you think they will accept this?"

I groaned. "You're not wrong. I guess at best they'll think I'm some kind of Stockholm Syndrome victim."

She was confused. "What's that?"

"In short, you're traumatized by being abused while kidnapped, so you justify it in your brain and you suddenly have some twisted affection for your captor. I think that's it."

Autriel smirked, "Doesn't sound far off."

I pointed toward her. "Hey, I think I've done fine staying sane so far."

"One isn't a very reliable judge of oneself's sanity. I just want to know why you can't present us. I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just curious."

I had to think for a second because I didn't really know. "I… don't know."

"Is there something wrong about us? About me? Mamano don't have the reputation they do here."

I shook my hands. "No, there's nothing wrong about you. If you were human, I'd-"

She raised her head like she'd found what she'd been looking for. "Ah, If I were human…"

I immediately corrected, "No! You're great as you are! Be proud of yourself! It's just weird. There's something blocking me from comfortably presenting you. I mean, you guys and these situations are something that comes out of somebody's head in the middle of the night and publishes anonymously on fanfiction forums. I've no problem discussing it there or even to strangers I meet. I'm proud I'm the friend of all of you, but at the same time, I'm worried to take you out into public because I'm afraid my family will find out."

She seemed somewhat wounded. Either that, or she was taking it in stride and trying to learn about human behavior. My paranoid self was sure it was the former. "It's strange. You'll speak of us to strangers like it was nothing, yet cannot even mention it to family. Do they not love you for who you are? Do you have some kind of image to maintain with them? Would you tell them for the rest of your life that you had a human wife, despite it being awkward when you are unable to present her? I'm afraid that would be a lie you could not maintain."

I was fairly agitated at this point. "I'm trying to figure it out, okay? I want to be with all of you, yet I also don't want to cut myself off from my entire family! I just can't explain why these feel mutually exclusive! Maybe it's because they wouldn't understand. I'll make it work! Somehow…"

"All of us in your life, huh? Just one has been more than many could handle. Though in this case, you survived just one, so that's a start."

"Oh, not like that. Wait, how did you-"

She rested her cheek on her fist. "Richard, you passionate, yet insecure man, you are going to have to get much better before you can successfully lie to me. If I was to make a suggestion, it would be to sit down and really think about how much you're limiting yourself based on the perception of others. What you think about yourself matters more than what others think of you."

I stared off into the grassland. "Yeah. You're right. I feel like I've heard that before."

But she wasn't done, "So this still begs the question, why are we still headed east?"

This time, I really thought about it. "I went out because I was running away to collect myself. Thinking about it, maybe it wasn't the physical distance I needed, but another kind. But, I think I'm headed east because it's home. Maybe I can't go to my home, but whether I've healed or not, familiar territory is what I need right now. Maybe it's symbolic of a forced new chapter in my life or something."

She gave off this proud smile. It genuinely warmed my heart. "That's a good answer to me. You sound like you're making progress."

Being told by someone else, "You're all right" is one of the best feelings ever. That, and whatever happened last night.

"I have another question: What is this 'fuck' word you keep saying? It confuses me slightly."

Great. Almost a week into this mess and I'm already teaching the new arrivals how to curse. "Okay. The word doesn't have any meaning by itself. It's just a word that's used in a sentence to add strength to it. You can put it just about anywhere and replace some verbs with it. Really is a weird little word. At least that's how I think it goes."

"Sounds interesting."

I went back inside and played a little with Aurelio. Gusoyn wasn't normally one to watch, but she kept staring at us for some reason. Thinking about the little guy, I had a small panic attack and asked Ruth where the father was and if we just stole his family.

Ruth said the father was unknown to her. The woman had been raising the child herself. Ruth could've been lying to make me feel better, but I didn't probe further.

Since supplies were gone, I drove about ten minutes east, until we encountered another (thankfully unfortified) town. I stopped the RV outside a tractor supply store across from a graveyard and told everyone else to wait. This time, I'd go by myself to avoid trouble. They convinced me to bring the halligan bar.

I walked a little to the east, found an intersection, and took a left toward the sounds of people. As I was walking, I suddenly noticed someone walking next to me, about a few feet away.

She clearly wasn't human, and also wasn't walking. It was disorienting to look at her. Thoughts just seemed to slide off her. It's like there was some sort of force constantly dissipating focus on her and shifting her into the background. Her flesh looked like it was made of continuously shifting tar, yet also glistened in the morning sun. Her silhouette shifted as well. She moved, yet didn't walk. She glided across the asphalt in a black and white dress, except I couldn't tell where the clothes ended and she began. All over her were constant twinkling eyes, winking in and out randomly. There were just so many eyes. Eyes for days. They seemed to peer everywhere and then some. She noticed I was having trouble trying to focus on her and walk at the same time. She curtsied(somehow) and spoke. Her voice sounded soothing and competent, yet weird. It felt like something very ancient was just using one of its numerous ways to communicate "A good sunrise to you."

I was incredulous. "Hi. Good morning, as normal people would say."

She waved, and I swear I saw three hands instead of one for the briefest moment. "Judging by Sol, I would say we're closer to the winter solstice, if this reality is the one I believe we're in. It's very good that the temperature has dropped. I hope the droplets will turn to flakes soon. I like white."

I didn't feel threatened by her. She just seemed to be in the background; a being that was simultaneously here and not, keeping everything tidy. "White does seem to be your color. What do you mean the 'reality you're in?'" I jokingly added, "Get the wrong address?"

She didn't get the joke. "Oh, no. There's way too many to give a number or name. The vast majority are very similar anyway. Just take your best guess. Are you on your way to the market?"

"Yeah. We're out of just about everything. I have some money in my wallet, but I'm running low."

"Not very professional, letting all of your things run out. But, the curse of being material is the reliance on other material. All constantly burns away, but I am a young one and haven't witnessed that yet to a great extent. Nevertheless, the first rule of the servant is to never be without. That would be very embarrassing."

"Are you a servant?"

She practically shook with excitement. Actually, she just blurred a little. Maybe it was just my eyes. "Proudly, yes! I've recently found a new master south of here. He was very accepting of my service. It's in my nature, and I'm very happy to have found someone so quickly."

I guess I was happy she was happy. I hope the guy was, too. "Very lucky."

"Luck is a construct created by those who do not know. I'd like to believe in it. Hopefully I can comprehend the lines one day, but that might end the magic. In the end, it's wise to balance it all. Serve and love to satisfy the immediate. Gaze to satisfy your future. For now, we're just spirits in the material world."

I chuckled, "If you were human, everyone would put you in a hospital for being a grade-A nut."

She looked at me with mischievous yellow eyes, "What is madness, really, though? Simply a lack of understanding of how one thinks. Sanity is simply self-restraint so one can conveniently communicate. Or, maybe you're the mad one."

"I think there's more to it than that."

"Oh, it's all based on what others think. Convince someone else to think like you, and then when you change, suddenly you're in the insane one. Have you done anything mad recently?"

I pretended to think. "No, not really. You've been arguing it's all perspective, though."

"Sir, you walk like you've been around many monsters, and you should at least know you can't lie to us. Would you like me to probe until you confess, or, since your time is linear and I don't want to waste it, you can just tell me now?"

I scoffed. "Why is everyone trying to jab holes in my personality, like I've got some buried insecurities that I don't even know about? Just let me be for a bit."

Her aura suddenly changed. She went from a servant to a terrifyingly intelligent eldritch being in the blink of an eye without changing her physical appearance at all… maybe. She spoke, in a slightly off tone. "You may not be my master, but perhaps you'd like a push?"

The pressure changed a bit and everything felt a little weird. After less than a second, it went back to normal. Then it hit. Oh boy, did it hit. It was suddenly one of those bursts of regret that run emotionally out of control(usually in the shower). I kept walking, but much slower and distracted. It was all a blur. Everything last night was a blur. I did nothing, but get swept away by the tide. I didn't prepare. I didn't plan. I didn't even wind up. It was just there and gone. I hadn't responded properly and just left her hanging with… what? I didn't even take responsibility for the possible future.

Eventually my thoughts became so overwhelming I started halfway speaking them out loud. "All this time… All I wanted was meaning. I broke it; broke my rule and didn't think. It's just superficial. One and done. I'm a… premari… It was half a joke, but it was also a cry of longing. Hypocritical. Shallow."

The shoggoth gave off a patronizing smile and asked, "What now?"

I suddenly started yelling, "There's time! Hardware store! Shiny rock!" I bolted down the road with wild abandon and screamed back at her, "Thank you spooky lady!"

She spoke, barely audibly, "I live to serve."

I looted a nearby hardware store and found what I needed: A small pipe fastener, a rubber band, some superglue, and a piece of citrine I spotted. I went to the settlement in the center, but I don't really remember what happened there, I was so distracted. I got everything I needed into a duffel bag and another carrying bag. I think the guy there ripped me off.

Back at the RV, I found Gusoyn lying on the floor contentedly. I placed the bags on the floor and said, "Hey. Gusoyn. Get up a second."

She sat cross-legged. "Hey. What's up?"

I sighed and said, "I have to apologize for something. What happened last night, don't mistake, there was definitely a connection, but I feel I did you wrong. I did both of us wrong."

I continued, "Stuff like that, I feel is a lot more fulfilling when there's something behind it; a weight, an anticipation, a context. It's not just instinctual. It's a combination of that and love, with some fun mixed in."

I choked back some tears. "I… didn't respond to you; Not in a way I feel happy with, and if I'm not happy with it, I don't want to give it to you." I shuffled through my pocket, pretty sure the glue had dried by now. "And so, I wanted to give you this. I don't know how much you know about human culture, but it's a symbol for us. I'll be honest, it looks like a ring made with a pipe fastener with a thick rubber band glued to the inside, and a cheap stone on top. That's because it is. It's not exactly a room of a thousand fountains, but there's a lot more thought and care put into it than I felt I gave you last night. I promise I'll get something more valuable when I get back on my feet."

Now I could see she was a little in tears herself. I caught the whiff of rotten eggs. "So, uh, my first time wasn't something I'll be proud about, but it's something I'll learn from. Give me some time, and I promise next time it won't be so one-sided."

We both sniffled, and she suddenly pounced up on me in a big, fuzzy, embrace. She went for a kiss, but she ended up licking my lips, which was kinda weird. Not that I'd ever received either from a non-family member. Whatever, just lick back I guess.

Meanwhile, at a worryingly close distance to our merry band, another group of hellhounds were standing inside a cargo container. In the middle of the space was a wooden chair with a man tied to it, illuminated only by a single portable fluorescent light. He was in a doctor's uniform and was sweating profusely in it, despite the chilly weather.

While most of the hellhounds were simply standing around for effect, all of them wearing do-rags of different colors. One previously hidden in the darkness walked out of it and toward the doctor. Unlike the rest of them, she wore a texas ten-gallon hat with holes cut in the top for her ears. The doctor had, in an attempt to look tough, made a comment on breaking the pirate theme. The bruising on his ribs were a reminder to never mention how she'd been unable to find a tricorner, or even a bicorner, hat. The bruising on his other side also reminded him when he told her there was no such thing as a unicorner hat, and being unable to stop himself from laughing.

The antique Chinese cavalry sword was real, though. It was also real close to shaving off his eyebrows. His interrogator felt the tension had gone on long enough and began.

"What be ye?"

At first, he muttered, "Okay, looks like the pirate thing is still going." He cleared his throat. "I'm a general-practitioner doctor."

She had a suspicious look on her face. "Be that what th' 'umans be callin' apothecaries these days? Addin' more words to yer title doesn't make ye look smarter. Bet ye get off to sawin' off people's limbs, ye quack."

"I-"

She flicked her wrist and a part of his right eyebrow fell down his face. "But, if a doctor be ye, then that means ye were there at the tents? Th' white ones wi' th' big red cross on 'em."

He replied with a squeaking voice, his head as far back as the chair would allow. "Yes, I treated some patients there. Patients who are now not getting treatment because (I'm going to assume) you razed it!"

"Aye, good. I wouldna worry about those folks. I'm sure they be fine. I would be more careful about yourself. Belial, picture, please."

The hellhound in a green do-rag said, "Aye", and handed the boss a medical record printout.

"Do ye know this man?"

At first he didn't, but then he recognized the face of someone who caused the disruption on the day the town's defenses broke. The doctor believed the man had intentionally brought the monsters with him to infiltrate the town and create a weak point. He must have served as a trojan horse vanguard. He told his captors this with spite.

The hellhound was actually surprised. "Oh, no. He's not one of us. Well, not yet. See, we be looking for him. Don't suppose ye… saw where he went, or with who, or in what?"

"I don't know… I was looking after myself during the attack… I don't remem-"

The blade slowly moved to the right, removing more of his eyebrow and a little skin with it. Blood started soaking in the hair and running down the side of his face, "Hold on! Hold on! They came in from the west, saying they were passing through! I do think I saw a glimpse of him during the confusion! He was heading toward where we kept impounded vehicles, so it could be that he's still heading east and he's probably going to go after his vehicle! There were so many people I really don't know for sure!"

The hellhound pulled the sword away and said, "There. That wasn't so bad, was it? Anything else?"

Before he could say anything, the doors to the container flew open and a man holding a binder yelled, "Ma'am!"

The first mate was irate. "Damn it, (I want to say… Wilford?) I can't do any proper interrogatin' if ye keep openin' th' doors like that! It ruins th' atmosphere!"

The man hid his face behind the folder. "I'm sorry ma'am. Won't do it again."

She rolled her eyes, tipped the doctor on his chair over backwards with her foot, waited for it to slam onto the floor, then turned to the folder man. "I be done, anyway. Now, what be it ye want?"

"Oh, well, recon reports that the main horde has stopped for now inside the town. We're safely outside their territory."

The hellhound surmised, "Aye, good. The locals'll keep 'em occupied for a few days. That'll give us a head start. Accordin' to him, man we're after be heading east. So be we. Get everyone to start packing up."

The man asked, "What about the doctor?"

She glanced back at the moaning man, still tipped over, and waved her hand. "Just get a group of ye to dump him nearby th' town, and th' monsters'll do th' rest." The doctor switched from moaning to screaming, until one of the crew stuffed a literal sock in his mouth.

The folder man looked shocked. "Why not one of you? If they get us, too…"

The hellhound was unfazed. "Then you'll be gettin' some for th' first time in ye life and then I'll find a replacement for ye. It's a win-win either way. I don't see how you think it be so bad. Speaking of, what be our lineup of captives now? I'm thinkin' of keepin' somebody for th' road"

"Uhhhh, we have two brothers we found hiding in a barn…"

She was suddenly annoyed. "No, I be sick and tired of farm boy. They smell of nothing, but sweat, mud, and corn."

The man flipped through some pages in his folder. "We've also got an accountant we snagged trying to get into town during the attack."

She walked out of the cargo container, going toward one of the several semi-trucks in her convoy. "No, white-collar workers be just as bad. Th' most aggressive thing ye get out of 'em be 'Oh, gee willikers' every minute, if they even last that. While yer gettin' ready, I'll head into town and see if I can find me a lawman or guard or somethin'. Ye best be ready when I get back."

"Yes, ma'am."

The hellhound bounded off toward the town, muttering to herself. "Are they stupid, or do I need to work on my menace more? ...Eh, I'll just go with stupid."

Meanwhile, I finished my second supply run after I realized I had forgotten some important things and also learned that both Gusoyn and Autriel were lactose-intolerant. Go figure. Ruth wasn't because she was "human", but that was up for debate. I also got baby food for Aurelio, because I remembered he existed. Unfortunately, no guns. All of the other members of our road trip had obnoxious strength, speed, and (probably) various powers. I'd been extremely lucky in melee so far, but I'd like my maximum engagement distance to be longer than arm's reach.

With late fall came short days, and the sun had set by the time we finished putting everything where it was supposed to go. Autriel, usually fifty-fifty on sleeping outdoors or in, decided inside tonight. When asked why, she tilted her head, looked up, and said, "I don't know. I felt like it."

Whatever. I said I'd sleep on the chair, so she could have the couch. I nearly fell asleep, completing a very satisfying day, when all of a sudden, somebody knocked on the RV door.

Reactions were mixed. Ruth brought her head up with a confused look on her face. Autriel did the same with a little more worry in her expression. Gusoyn's was immediately negative. She sprung to her feet, her hair standing up. She just stared at the door, eyes bugged out, and began repeating, "Don't like it. Don't like it." I was just greatly annoyed at somebody knocking at my door at this time. It was too dark to see out the window. Sack time was precious and should never be interrupted. I went for the door, but she stopped me with blinding speed. "Don't open it."

I was confused. "Why not? Somebody's at the door."

She said with a shaky voice, "No there's not. Nobody walked up. I'd hear them. Nobody's there." She continued muttering similar lines.

The thumping continued, more aggressive this time on the door. Now my hair's standing on end. I looked back to everyone else. Ruth had previously been sitting down and she still was, but wasn't reclining anymore. Autriel was standing up and had a defensive posture. She was visibly shivering, however. Looking at her reminded me that she was the reason why the door didn't lock.

With speed that would put competitive fencers to shame, I rushed for the door and immediately clamped both hands on the handle. It felt cold and so did I. I resisted the urge to look out the window. I was glad I did, because I could feel something trying to turn it. It wasn't forceful, just light, steady, tug. Fighting nausea, I turned to Autriel and spoke as calmly as I could. "Hey Autriel."

She had one of her hands in a complex gesture and it looked like I saw her finishing casting something. "Yes?"

I tried to speak as casually as I could. "Whatcha doin'?"

Whatever she did, it didn't make her any calmer. In fact, she started rambling at high speed. "Well, I just wanted to see the invisible, but it looks like nothing's still there. Obviously not true since it's unusually cold in here. At first, I was thinking ghost, but I would've been able to see her by now. That, and it's disturbing the ambient energy in a really weird way and I've never seen it before."

Now was not the time to break. At first, I said, "Hey."

"I mean, of course you probably wouldn't know much different. Creatures who use magic all the time are just more sensitive to it, you know? But if I don't know it, that means it's on your end, but if even you don't know it, then I'm just-"

More forcefully, I said, "Hey!"

She stopped and stared at me. Now that I had her attention, I said, "I've got the door, and I can't let go, so you're going to have to drive. Listen very carefully. In the slot under the radio are the keys. Take the blue one and put it into the ignition. You've seen me do it before."

She hastily found them, and fumbled a little inserting the key. A light on the dashboard came on.

"Great. Now turn it clockwise a little bit."

She turned it and more lights came on. The RV's previously unnoticeable beeps were now jarring. I continued agonizingly slowly, "Doing good. Now, turn it a little bit more and you'll feel some resistance. That will start the engine. Once you feel it run on it's own, let go."

She did so, and then the force on the door handle increased. It began jerking more. My composure was paper-thin. The engine started with a little complaint, but it did start.

"You've seen me do this and it's real easy. Pull the lever on the right side of the wheel, and put your foot on the right pedal below you."

As the RV moved forward, the force against the handle stopped and the previously unnoticed pressure in the room lifted. I carefully let go, shuffled over to the passenger seat, and then slumped over into it.

Autriel seemed content with driving in silence, so I didn't contest. She didn't floor it, but I didn't care if she broke the speed limit. In about ten minutes, I told her to take a left and found ourselves in an uninhabited hamlet. No longer harassed by the paranormal, we stopped on the side of the road(staying clear of the local cemetery) and tried to get some shut-eye.

Nobody got any except Aurelio, who slept through the whole thing. Nobody came knocking on our door again.

Next morning, we discovered that all of the humans had left. There were no cars anywhere. I declared it to be a day of rest and we were to spend it like true survivors: Looting the houses and lounging around.

I found some basic tools, some canned goods, and a post office box being reused as a piggy bank. I found it inside the master bedroom and not the sons', but that didn't make me feel much better taking it. It seemed odd that the owners' didn't bring this with them, but that just made me worry that they may have had a worse fate. A few swings from the sledgehammer on it and I was up two hundred bucks. I also discovered a radio that looked like it was from the 90's.

Gusoyn's main goal was to find some weapons, but failed, so she just ran around and broke things. She was greatly more energetic than usual; Jumping onto roofs, smashing through fences with glee, and lowering everyone's property value. I swore I smelled smoke at one point, but didn't check.

Ruth found more food, a jacket for herself, and burnable items for the fire.

Autriel at first attempted to detect any magic. Finding no threats, she spent her time breaking into jewelry boxes and sorting items.

The wind was strong, and the overcast meant it was pretty chilly. Nevertheless, we dragged a metal fire pit into the front yard of a house and set up camp around it. I chucked papers into the bottom, Ruth felled a dead tree with her sword and chopped it into wood, Gusoyn prodded Aurelio, the baby chewed on her claw, and Autriel made stoking the fire significantly easier.

The scene was a combination of surreal and normal. Everyone seemed relaxed and for the first time, I didn't feel on edge. If it makes any sense, they weren't people, but I comfortably felt like I knew them as people. The future was uncertain, but for now, I was calm where I was. The radio was playing a talk show in the background. The sun came out and warmed those who didn't already generate their own heat. It almost looked like some kind of neighborhood cocktail party, except there were no neighbors, an above-average amount of claws and teeth, and I wasn't sure if the world would soon implode into anarchy. I took the social initiative and commended Autriel. "You learned to drive pretty quick."

She waved her hand. "Oh, it's not that difficult. I'm a fast learner anyway."

I used this to segue into something I'd been meaning to talk about. I leaned forward in my rusty pilfered lawn chair. "Speaking of learning things and now that we have some time, I'd like to ask you about something."

She leaned back on the grass. "Ask."

"I've seen you do some unexplainable things, and the only thing I can think of is magic. So please, explain it to me."

"Let me think."

She thought for some time. She twirled her hair and tapped on the scales on her leg. Then, the magic dragon said, "Okay. I've been alluding to this for a while, but I think it's time for some exposition."

She outstretched her arms. "Imagine, if you will, that all life has energy. I don't mean nutrition. When you eat something, you take its energy, but that's not what I'm talking about. The kind I mean is what we call 'Spiritual Energy.' The only way it can be exchanged is by interacting with one another."

"However, not all life is equal. Plants have extremely little energy, and those sensitive only see them as background radiation. Higher, more intelligent, animals have a hint of spiritual energy, almost like the flickering of a candle. But, humanity and other sapients is where it really shines."

"Humans have and produce spiritual energy, and cannot be happy without sharing with others." She pointed to me. "You have spiritual energy. I can see it. In fact, I can determine some things about you by looking at your energy."

She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands, like some kind of psychiatrist who's taken interest in her patient. "Your energy is energetic(as redundant as that sounds) and wants to flow freely. Unfortunately, like a stagnant pond, it's been unable to for some reason, and has been forced to stay in place for some time. This hasn't been very good for it, and being able to only hear your own echo does not a healthy person make. That is simply a fact of life. Some people resonate with each other and share energy. Others do not. No one is to blame for this."

Chuckling, she looked over to the others. "So you don't feel like I'm psychoanalysing you all the time, we could move to the hellhound and child over there. Gusoyn's energy is tense, incendiary, and isn't easily shared with others. It does not naturally flow truly free, which should explain her spellcasting skills." Gusoyn turned and gave a "Bitch really?" look. Autriel continued, "Aurelio's energy has no structure because he hasn't developed a personality yet. It will come in time."

"Ruth's energy is unique. She contains the energy of the human body she inhabits, and the spirit energy of her true body, the blade. She will never be able to cast magic, only the abilities given to her as a blade."

"And last, but certainly not least, me. While it may be true I nitpick, I'm not an exception. My energy is calm, concerted, and methodical. It flows free, but not swiftly, and has difficulty committing. I'm most adept in divination and abjuration. More aggressive casting doesn't come naturally to me. It's not impossible, but takes more focus and is more draining. That's just how it is." She shrugged.

"Now, there are two 'flavors' of energy. The spiritual energy I just mentioned is just half of it. You see, you produce spirit energy. In fact, everything except monsters do. Actually, now that we're here, the proper term is 'mamano'. That's how we're referred to. Mamano produce what is called, 'demonic energy.' I know, it sounds really negative, but we didn't really have a word for it, and the church back home thought we were all demons, so it kind of stuck." She stared off into the sky briefly. "To be fair, I can't blame them."

"Anyway, the difference is significant. Simply put, demonic energy has great difficulty existing by itself. We don't recover it in great quantities, and even worse, we're not very efficient with it. It may be a somewhat embarrassing way to put it, but we tend to 'leak' it everywhere around us, transforming local life into a habitat for us. Obviously, that requires life to be there in the first place. That being said, we are excellent at converting spiritual energy near us into demonic, can store great quantities of it, and it's got the advantage of being more potent than spirit. Some of us can even sustain ourselves off it alone, though I've never tried it myself."

I interrupted the lecture. "You can replenish your energy by just being near spiritual energy?"

She winced, "Ehhhh, only if the source is very radiant. It's somewhat like sunbathing. However, it barely breaks even."

"Oh, so how do you replenish your energy?"

She leaned forward, clasped her hands, and stared at me. "Take what I told you about mamano behavior and make a guess."

I paused, raised my eyebrows, then said, "...Oh."

"Like I said, 'sunbathing' barely breaks even. In fact, it may be an extreme test of willpower to constantly be around a great source of energy and be only able to passively take a portion of the table scraps. It's teasing in the extreme."

I couldn't keep my gaze. "I see."

She continued, still staring. "In fact, this 'sunbathing' only works if the two individuals resonate greatly, which amplifies what I said previously about the teasing. It's like being next to an oasis, but being only able to suck the water out of the nearby mud. However, if the person has recently lower on energy than usual, it's simply just sand."

I said, "I understand."

She asked with a hint of bitterness, "Do you?"

Silence, then Autriel broke it by continuing. "Life energy is the stuff that allows a person to defy reality. Magic is done by the user wielding a portion of their raw energy(demonic or spiritual), infusing their will into it, then briefly shaping the world. The greater the caster understands the nature of their own energy, the more efficient of a caster they will be. Mamano are generally comfortable with themselves, so those who cast can do so much easier than humans. The drawback is that we can't restore ourselves, like the humans can."

She grinned and said, "And there you have it! Welcome to the wild world of magic, where it only works if you believe it does. I've never taught anyone before, so this'll be fun."

"Looking forward to it.", I said.

She got up and made for the house. "With that, I'm tired and I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when there's food or you've found something shiny."

Silence took over the group. There were words unspoken that should have been, but weren't. Not now. Soon, but not now. Now that nobody was speaking, the sounds of the wind and the radio became more noticable."

The station went from advertisements to two men talking.

"-and according to reports, a great organized mass of monsters is collecting south of Des Moines. Recon imaging has shown that they were moving east, but have stopped for now and spread out around the area. If you're hunkered down in or near the capital, keep your eyes peeled in that direction."

"They could pack up and move again though, Gus."

"Right you are, Keith. In fact, the state of Iowa has issued mandatory evacuations of Clarke, Warren, Lucas, Marion, Monroe, and Mahaska counties. Police and national guard will enforce this for one day, then they will leave and the army will attempt to encircle the horde." 

"One other thing I heard on the grapevine is that we might have a collaborator. Rumor has it, just before the raid, somebody showed up in a van and had been talking to the monsters beforehand." 

"Really? They talk?" 

"I guess so, but there's more! See, people think he was some kind of spy, somebody they brainwashed and then put inside the town to gather intel." 

"That's pretty far-fetched." 

"Maybe. Who knows? These monsters' haven't been attacking big towns, until this. They've been hanging around the outskirts of places, dodging militia, and not making any bold moves. What I do know, is that nobody's seen that guy since and there's a few groups of militia who'd like to meet him. Probably not to throw him a party, since they seemed pretty mad. I heard they posted a reward for any information on him, or maybe just his head. We might have a good ol' fashioned bounty hunt on our hands." 

"Gus, do you… do you think this is the end times? I mean, armageddon and all. I just think it's funny that there's always been 'the end is nigh' folks and we've always made fun of 'em on the show. But now…"

"I don't know what to tell ya. Maybe it's aliens, maybe it's demons, maybe it's mutants. Who knows? Not like anybody's interviewed one. Rumor has it they can talk. What I can tell you is that I swear I saw a picture of one in a pirate hat. Never seen anything like it. Don't know if I want to again."

"Ha! What? Are you worried it's listening to the radio? Think it's gonna come over here and plunder your booty?"

Meanwhile, a hellhound in a pirate hat was poking at a radio with a sword. One of her men had found it for her and had explained how to use it. She grinned and said, "Don't tempt me."


	7. The Natives are Restless

_I will admit, I had some expectations of him. I had no idea what they were at the time, but I knew I wanted something. The passive-aggressiveness wasn't the friendliest idea in retrospect, but stuff like that just flies right over his head… usually. I had received what I wanted: choice. Unfortunately, I didn't know what to do with it. I'd compare it to the human school system, as much contempt as I hold for it. The student is given knowledge on the world around them, but little in terms of the wisdom to live in it. Then, they are unceremoniously hurled out into it when the academy decides they know enough. They are given a vast amount of options, but receive little education on which option to decide. I couldn't identify what I wanted next. Neither did he, but I don't blame him. We all have our social issues and we all were dealing with them at the time. It became obvious quickly not all of my nature was removed. I suppose wishing to be entirely normal was selfish, but what do I know of normal? Richard says normal is what we decide is normal. The world isn't just the sum of its denizens and we can choose to acknowledge them or not. He says that I am good, and that is enough for me. Despite the new outlook, the hunger remained. I no longer had the instinctual urge to pursue it, but that somehow made it worse in a more subtle, creeping way._

_Gusoyn's move… simultaneously surprised and scared me. I did not fear her, nor did I blame her. I feared what her actions reminded me of. I'd lived for the past few days under the illusion that my previous world was behind me; that this one couldn't be touched. I was very wrong. I was re-taught the lesson that nothing is untouchable and I agonized that I may be doomed to return to my old ways, my only opportunity taken immediately in front of me. Does no one know what it's like to be hated; to be fated? I had a few dreams, but they weren't as empty as my conscience seemed to be. Everything seemed so, so fragile. The town raid wasn't an unfortunate coincidence. They were searching for something and I knew exactly what. I was foolishly teaching him how to wield the very energy that made him an unwitting target. He shone like a beacon for those who could see. He was a mobile oasis in the middle of the desert and I was hogging him. The previous encounter only worked in our favor out of disorganization. The horde would grow and a charismatic mamano would inevitably rise to take leadership. Then it would become much more of a threat._

_Despite these worries, I took great comfort in teaching Richard. It almost made me giddy to have someone take great interest in what I knew and thought. So much so that I gave up on trying to nap and enjoyed everyone's company while we had our brief time of leisure. I scavenged some wooden toy blocks and brought them out. Sitting down, I told Richard to imagine a current flowing outward from his arm. Then, I instructed him to imagine twisting that current into the shape of a hand. It was a hand that could push, pull, grasp, or do anything he willed it to. He sat there for some time, staring at the block. I began building a small house out of the rest of them. I told him to imagine that hand pushing the block across the ground._

_He focused, he strained, and, credit where it's due, genuinely tried. Of course, I could see no energy use at all, so I was confident what the problem was._

"You don't believe me, do you?" _I began lightly throwing blocks at his forehead. He's cute when he pretends he's not frustrated._

_Bonk._

"Come on, you've seen me do it with ease."

_Bonk._

"I can't tell if you want to try or don't."

_Bonk._

"It's not a muscle you flex. Moving is just to assist the mind."

_Bonk._

"If you don't think you can, you won't."

_In a fit of frustration, he violently lifted his arm and raised a single finger at me. I'm sure the human readers can guess which one. However, this moment of focus and direction toward something made the block slowly roll toward me and bump against my knee, propelled by an invisible force. I performed a slow clap._

_To be honest, I think Gusoyn's good for him. She is what he is not. He houses passions, but simply needs someone who starts things easier. Richard is similar to a large wagon: difficult to start rolling, but extremely hard to turn from it's path once it gains speed. Gusoyn is good for me as well. I admit I have difficulty expressing myself, but I feel her rebellious and straightforward ways are a breath of fresh air for me. She will casually hit Richard in the shoulder and he will return it. Eventually it will devolve into a jostling contest and both will end up in the dirt._

_She opens the door to just… honesty. Anything other than the truth is just pointless to her. I don't need to be on guard around her. If nothing else, our journey would have been much less interesting. She gets the wagon going. I ride on top and steer it._

**No, I'm pretty sure you're the bottom here.**

_That was a great conclusion! Are you determined to ruin my storytelling with your unconstructive jabs?_

**Pretty much. You're as longwinded as ever. It was nice to read either way.**

The day came to a close, and we returned inside the RV. Ruth declared she had something to say. She said while my goal returning to my homeland was admirable, and the other members of our group were generous to help me find my way safely, she admitted those weren't her goals. She wanted to pursue her own path in her own time and in her own way.

Aurelio simultaneously was and wasn't hers as well. She said that, considering our current situation, the baby's calculated chance of survival with us wasn't something I'd be happy with.

There was some talk and she proposed a deal. Nobody wanted Aurelio to live the life of an orphan forever, so here it was:

1: We would drive to the nearest major settlement. In this case, Ottumwa.

2: Ruth would take a bag, some essentials, and Aurelio. She was confident in her ability to infiltrate the town, safely drop Aurelio off somewhere he would be found, then disappear.

3: She knew how much the little guy had grown on us, so she would be on the lookout for when and where we settled. When that happened, she would find Aurelio wherever he was, then return him to us discreetly. That would be the last favor she did for anyone for as long as she could foresee.

I didn't ask how she planned on doing any of that, or if kidnapping was implied. As we moved out, there was this awkward silence between her and everyone else. Autriel had also decided to travel and sleep inside.

The trip to Ottumwa was mostly uneventful. At one point, Ruth spoke in a hushed tone to Gusoyn. Since then, both occasionally glanced toward the makeshift rear window. I didn't ask why. Traffic coming into town got steadily worse, and we saw many motionless cars with the driver doors open or simply removed entirely. With a quick check of the map, we went south and found a smaller town with a more discreet bridge to cross the Des Moines river. There, we said our goodbyes to Ruth and Aurelio. It wasn't five minutes out that shit hit the fan, almost immediately after entering the highway.

As we drove, Gusoyn pointed out a car behind us. According to her, it had been following us for some time, slowly attracting more cars behind it. None of them had changed their route.

The road had three lanes and never curved, so I gradually increased my speed in increments. Every time I did so, the cars behind would match it. Now I was convinced they were. What to do, though? Eventually, I put the pedal down as far as it would go.

Autriel asked, "Can we not go any faster?" I replied, a little irked, "This thing wasn't exactly made for speed. I don't think we'll get away in it." She asked again, "Then, may we do whatever we need to in order to stop them?" I thought for a moment, then said, "As long as you don't slow us down. Whoever they are, they know our car, so we're going to have to change it as soon as possible." She grinned and said, "Beautiful."

Meanwhile in the sedan behind us, three average-looking men were occupying it. The one in the passenger seat charged his rifle, while the one in the back fiddled with a pistol. The driver had one hand on the wheel, while the other was holding a ham radio.

"Base to Hendricks. Is this our guy?"

Hendricks pressed to talk. "Yeah his plate checks out. There's two others moving around inside. They don't look human to me." There was a pause, then the radio said, "Two? They said there were three. Where's the other one?" The driver was impatient, "Look, plate's right, car's right, this has gotta be our traitor. He's even running away." The radio hissed, "All right. There's no cops for the next while. You better be right. Be quick."

He grinned and signaled the two other cars. The passenger said, "This bitch is gonna pay for my fucking son." He looked through the sight of his Ruger .22 and noticed one of the shapes was looking right out the rear window at him.

Autriel casually walked up to the mini fridge. She jammed her claws in the front of the door and then ripped it off. No one responded to her, except I stared in awe. After this, she strode to the rear window, cocked her arm back, and then frisbeed that shit into the leading car's windshield, ignoring ours.

Stating the obvious, windshields are tough stuff. It didn't shatter, but it was certainly more crack than anything else. Our rear window wasn't made of the same material, and exploded in a very precisely engineered shower of glass.

The cars spread out, the recently attacked one taking the left side. The middle station wagon shifted right. The rear SUV also began advancing up behind us.

Things went agonizingly slowly for me. I could see the cars rolling down their windows, most likely with very armed and very pissed off people inside. As the car on the right moved beside us, Gusoyn performed a mighty kick against the RV's door, near the hinges. This sent it flying toward the station wagon, impacting briefly with it and making a horrible metal-on-metal scratching noise with a few sparks. Gusoyn leapt the gap between the vehicles immediately after and latched onto the driver side door, easily piercing the cosmetic exterior with her claws. The gunmen inside fired off some panicked shots, but were trying not to hit their driver. He instinctively swerved right, and briefly drifted onto the shoulder slightly.

Autriel's approach was equally aggressive. Again, using a piece of the RV as cover, she pummeled the rear wall until it burst open, showering the SUV in debris. As an added bonus, she kicked the armchair out the back, however the SUV dodged it. Anticipating the driver, she fearlessly leapt out of the back and slammed against the car's radiator. The impact crumpled the SUV's front somewhat and ripped off the hood. She began spewing flames all over the car, blinding everyone inside, and ripping into the(barely) still-running engine.

Gusoyn jammed her claws into the driver door and ripped it off. It tumbled off behind the station wagon. The inside was a chaotic scene of Gusoyn throttling the driver and then unceremoniously throwing him back into his comrades in the backseat. In their panic, the gunmen accidentally landed a shot on the driver, shattering his collarbone. Another shot snapped by Gusoyn's arm, shaving off some fur. She took this insultingly. Later, authorities found the first man on the grassy shoulder, nearly dead with almost all of his bones broken, some by the impact, some before. Only the lower half of the other man was found nearby.

Autriel performed a ridiculous leap off of the unpowered SUV and back inside the RV. Her claws shredded the carpeting as she pulled herself up. Gusoyn had control of the station wagon, and after hurling the gunmen out, she shifted closer toward the RV, with significant jerkiness of a new driver. She gestured towards me. Autriel noticed and understood. She said this was the time to switch cars.

I was incredulous, "Seriously? You think the station wagon is any faster than this?" She said flatly, "I don't know, but it looks faster. Either way, they knew us from our wagon, so we must change it." I said, "Fine." It would be the second time we'd started from zero, and this one was missing it's driver side door.

I got out of my seat and crossed the small gap into the other car. Gusoyn scooted over. As soon as I did that, the sedan with the cracked windshield decided to open fire again at the RV. They were fairly accurate this time, and shot the front left side tire. Autriel jumped out and clamped onto the outside of the car, piercing the bodyshell with her claws. The RV, now coasting and with a flattening tire, drifted left and started slinging mud around in the median. It was quickly and unceremoniously left behind. The sedan was forced to slow down to avoid the RV, and moved behind us.

At this point I thought I was going to die from a bullet to the back of the skull, but no. Autriel decided to do that move again, because apparently she thinks flinging herself off moving cars is quality fun. She tucked everything in, exposing only armored scale, as she leapt up and off the car. They took a few potshots at her, but only two ricocheted off her arm and leg. I could hear another hit our car's bumper. She slammed into the pursuing sedan, flattening the front like an accordion.

This is the point where I call bullshit on myself. There was no possible way I could even survive in the presence of beings such as these. She turned herself around with her back to one of the headlights. With an expression of glee, she extended her legs out onto the asphalt.

A normal human would have either lost her lower half, or have been pulled under the car. Not her. Her armored legs dug into the asphalt, making a loud crunching noise and spraying black rock everywhere. The sudden stop of movement made the car suddenly jerk to the right. The rear of the car wanted to continue forward, so it spun the entire vehicle around onto the shoulder. Still spinning and now trailing a cloud of mud and grass, physics suddenly decided Autriel was no longer the fulcrum of this disaster of a lever. She was flung off of the front of the car and had about a second of air time before connecting with the earth and digging a trench out of it, but not before bouncing a few times. She disappeared behind a spray of topsoil. The car rammed it's side into a drainage ditch with a wet crunch.

I braked as hard as I could without losing control. I thought to myself, "This is it. She's fucking dead." I assumed she was more powerful than humans, but one does not simply walk away from a car wreck. I made a sharp U-turn and drove back towards the wreck. Good thing there were no cars coming our way. If they did come, they'd see the two mamano, and then we'd have to… I don't know.

I've heard Autriel describe herself as "immensely powerful, at least to other mamano". Gysoyn begrudgingly agreed with her. Just how powerful is "immensely"? It's all comparative. Does "immensely" mean a serious contender in an arm wrestling championship? Does it mean she's close to a three-hundred-pound prizefighter? What about shrugging off a car wreck with ease? I didn't know. She was honest, yet so vague about these things.

We pulled up to the wreck and first saw the car on it's side in the ditch. We traced the shredded grass where Autriel landed to this figure lying in the weeds. My stomach wrenched, and I tried to call her name, but all that came out of my mouth was nothing.

Then, the grass shuffled, and Autriel pulled herself off the ground and stood up, facing away from us. She turned around and I noticed she was absolutely caked in dirt. She showed us a toothy grin, yet her yellow eyes gave off a wild and bestial, yet victorious look on them. She looked like a combination of a kid who'd spend several hours playing on a dirt pile and a wolf that had singlehandedly killed her first deer. She dusted herself off(which did no good), and proudly strode toward me. There was silence until she was right in front of me. It was then I realized she was at least a few inches taller than me. She looked down upon me and said, "I trust I've earned some respect today?"

I stammered, "Yeah...uh...I..." Suddenly, I was choking back tears. "I...thought you were dead. I didn't know. I thought you'd sacrificed yourself or..something. I mean, I know we're on the run, but I'd given you a nice burial and.."

Suddenly she stepped forward and embraced me. She smelled of earth. Claws capable of cutting steel ran through my hair without causing the slightest pain. "Shhhh. I would never do something to make you worry. I'm sorry you were not sure I lived; I'll be more clear next time. However, I want you to know that, if there was no other way, I would happily risk my life for you."

I hugged her back by reaction and said, "You can't do that shit to me." I sniffled. "You guys are all I have right now and the world might be ending for all we know. I don't wanna see the end alone."

She sighed, "If it makes you feel any better, the same is true for me." She held me out at arm's length, looked me in the eyes, and said, "Now, all of the drama's over. I can see you're a little upset over there. Are you going to go back to being a big boy soon?"

I wiped my eyes and grinned, "Oh, don't fucking mock me. It's not every day I'm in a car chase with a bunch of hitmen, and then somebody close to me gets in a car wreck while I watch."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. We'll give you some leeway. In the meantime, we need to find the nearest body of water. I'm quite filthy."

We walked toward the car. Guyson leaned toward Autriel and said mockingly, "D'awww. That was sweet." The dragon didn't go for the taunt. "We all have our needs. I think he needed a little personal comfort."

It was about then that I realized the scope of what just happened. Adrenaline and shock left, while trauma mosied it's way in. I became so distracted that I stopped walking entirely. There were at least six people dead, assuming two per car. They'd all died in crashes but not before having their cars torn apart by otherworldly creatures. I didn't know why they attacked us. Did they do so because mamano were in the RV? If that was so, how did they know? Everybody was busy defending their homesteads, so why go after me? Why did they shoot at me? What did we do to them? Didn't they know I'm human like them? Was I? Maybe it was all a mistake; a mistake that ended in the death and dismemberment of at least half a dozen people.

Autriel placed her hand on my shoulder and asked, "Are you well?"

I distractedly answered, "Kinda. Just thinking." She replied, "Actually, I have been as well. Since our pursuers were armed, and they're clearly not using their weapons anymore. Gusoyn and I are capable of defending ourselves, but it would make us both more comfortable if you were more... independent. Perhaps we could check this closest car for something useful."

Did she mean the car in the ditch over there? The one where the front looks closer to a wad of colored tinfoil than anything else? The one with the dead people in it? "I… don't feel comfortable looting the dead."

She shrugged. "I would be more than happy to grab one for you. Er… I forget what they're called, but I don't exactly know what I'm looking for."

I stared toward the wreck and spoke with little expression on my face, "Yeah. I don't want you handling a gun anyway. Might hurt yourself." I approached the car apprehensively, and quietly put my hand on the door handle.

I pulled it open and contained nausea. The driver was still in his seat, slumped over the gearbox. The two passengers in the back had not been wearing seat belts, and were compressed into the right side door. One man's head had smashed through the window. Both of their mouth's were open, and I tried not to look at their faces. I found a rifle conveniently lying on the seat. It looked like one of them had been aiming the gun when the car crashed, jamming the stock into his skull. There was a blood splatter on the weapon and the man's face was drenched. I tentatively grabbed it.

It appeared to be a grey Mini-14. It looked like it was chambered in .300 blackout, judging by what was already inside it. The footwell was littered with loose rounds, casings, and full magazines. I took what I could hold. That was all. I wanted nothing more to do with the bodies, the car, or even the area. In fact, the faster I got out of Iowa, the better.

We cautiously returned to the highway. Traffic heading west was packed, while the road heading the opposite direction was deserted. Nobody had broken the rules and started driving the opposite way… yet. When they did, they would most likely start a panic and then the road would be undrivable. Not that our vehicle was in the best condition anyway. Gusoyn had called shotgun, while Autriel reclined in the back, getting everything dirty. She grinned and her pearly white teeth deeply contrasted the rest of her. The hellhound picked dried blood off her leg.

We drove a little, spotting a few ponds here and there. Eventually, I decided we could just borrow someone's garden hose outside. I realized I wouldn't care if Autriel suddenly decided to shred the back seats into leather and foam. I did not care in the slightest, unless I was expected to sleep there. We came across a horse farm and turned into its driveway.

The sight was pretty grim from the get-go. A chunk of the house was smashed in, exposing the living room. It was abandoned, but clearly not with the owner's consent. The horses were out back, unnerved, but still grazing in a corner of the pasture, away from us. Autriel said, "Oh horses! I love horses. Usually where they are, centaurs are nearby. They're really good folk. I'm sure they'll like us."

Gusoyn suddenly put on a mischievous grin, "What do you know about centaurs? What makes you think you can speak for them?" Autriel was confused, "One of my best friends is a centaur! She and I get along very well. I wonder how she's doing." Gusoyn snorted, "Oh, they all say that. What have you done for them?" Autriel, unknowingly taking the bait, retorted, "I flew air reconnaissance numerous times for their skirmishers!"

At this point, Gusoyn could barely contain her laughter. "But what have you done for them lately?" Autriel, irate, shouted, "Nothing, because I was unceremoniously grabbed and dumped here, you infernal hellspawn!" Gusoyn fake scoffed, "Exactly. And 'infernal hellspawn' is redundant."

Autriel gestured toward me and gave the expression of, "You see the shit I have to deal with?"

We exited the car. In my case, I just stepped out. Around the side of the house was a working garden hose with one of those clicker-nozzle-things. I don't know what they're called. I was told to hold onto the hose, then spaced out.

I wondered to myself, just what is different about me? Gusoyn ripped off a car door while holding onto a car moving high speed. Autriel forced a car to spin out by jamming her legs into the asphalt, and then survived a car wreck while stuck on the front of the car. She walked away from the entire thing with maybe a few bruises and scratches.

This begs the question: How am I still alive and kicking? Were they conspiring together, pretending to be weak, to give me the illusion of control? That would be something Gusoyn would do, but I didn't think she'd have the patience to keep the lie up for this long. Autriel seemed like the type that would just straight-up refuse orders, sometimes even suggestions. Also, what were they doing? Oh shit.

All higher cognitive functions immediately failed. Normally wearing little, the two mamano had absolutely nothing on now. Navigation went down, I could only stand. Gusoyn turned to me and snidely commented, "What? You've seen this before. Granted, it was in the dark." My nostrils flared, and my eyes stayed open, unable to blink. My mind was determined to observe as much of this as possible, dry-eye be damned. Autriel gave me an understanding, albeit a little patronizing, look. For a moment, I swore I saw a little desperation in her eyes as well. She said, "Well?" I gave the trigger an iron grip.

As I'd been told many times, it was a part of mamano's nature to seduce men. It was their method of reproducing. They nailed it.

Gusoyn was a big girl, and not in a bad way. She was large, and if it makes any sense, everything was… proportionate. When she stood straight up, she was a little taller than Autriel. She was also surprisingly well built, and carried with her an undeniable confidence in her body. It was more subtle than Autriel's, but certainly there. She looked at me and gave off a twisted grin. "Like what you see?"

Thinking of a response felt like a solid minute of silence. A lot of thought went into something witty, but the only thing that came out was, "Yeah. Very nice. Very well built."

She performed a bodybuilder pose, looking like a combination lightweight prizefighter and wet dog. She boasted, "This is what you look like when you have to fight your way to the top." She grabbed Autriel's arm(who immediately looked offended) and shook it. "Look at this. Bet you haven't been in a real fight all your life. They just take one look at the dragon and run."

Autriel huffed, "For good reason. Have you forgotten the events of the past few hours?" Gusoyn wasn't convinced. "That's just your blood doing all the work. Imagine what you would look like if you actually tried. I bet Richard could imagine. Right?"

Not paying attention, I said, "Yeah, I bet it would be great." I was very distracted.

Autriel was on the thinner side. Not skinny, but something closer to more efficient. Lithe was a very good word to describe her. Her body was built to take to the air as easily as possible. Still equally alluring; The only difference between her and Gusoyn would be if someone had a personal preference.

Physical critique aside, the dragon's honor had been questioned. The devil's advocate hellhound had poked it. Autriel's voice took on a tone I hadn't heard before and said to me, "Spare me, the dragon family isn't legendary for nothing. Maybe you need a refresher on what made us such a name."

Guysoyn made a playful growl and began hopping back and forth with her hands in the air. She said, "Aw, quit picking on the little human. Revenge isn't very sportsmanlike. Why don't you pick on me?"

Autriel slowly turned her head and said, "Really?"

Gusoyn grinned, "Yeah, I've been twitchy ever since that big chase. It'd be my first fair fight since I got here." She stopped a second and looked at me. "Except maybe for you. That's been my favorite yet."

I was too distracted to defuse the situation and didn't realize it was going downhill until it was too late. The air around both of them began to shimmer with heat and the water on them steamed. Autriel vented smoke out of her mouth and said, "Oh, this'll be far from fair."

Gusoyn's back was against the house. Autriel leapt forward at an angle, simultaneously taking a swipe at Gusoyn's head, crashing through the soffit, and setting everything in front of her ablaze. Gusoyn sidestepped and pursued Autriel onto the roof by easily leaping onto it. I could do nothing but gawk.

The two of them locked arms, attempting to throw each other off the roof. The shingles scraped and cracked under their claws. Gusoyn performed a kick to the gut. Autriel retreated, but spewed fire in Gusoyn's face on the way out. She didn't care in the slightest. In fact, she giggled and said, "Fire doesn't work on me!" Autriel immediately took to the air.

Gusoyn said, "Hey, don't go flying up like a coward!" Autriel shouted, fire licking out of her mouth, "Then jump up on here!" The hellhound thought for a second and then said, "Nah. I got a better idea." She jammed her claws under a shingle, ripped it off the roof, and then flung it toward Autriel. The dragon blew a cone of fire, intending to destroy the projectile. Instead of a shingle hitting her, a glob of hot tar and fiberglass smacked her squarely in the face. She ascended and grabbed the black, sticky, steaming substance off her face. The stakes had just been raised. Gusoyn's stance and facial expression took on a more serious tone. Autriel's face was terrifying. Oh look at that. She's got fangs, too. She let out an indignant roar that made me wonder if I'd get tinnitus from this.

Trailing flames, Autriel took a shockingly fast dive straight through the roof, spraying chunks of shingle and splinters everywhere. Gusoyn managed to dodge down the roof, but Autriel's goal now included wanton destruction. She carried through her movement by tearing through the wall under Gusoyn, forcing it to collapse. Gusoyn fell down in a cloud of plaster dust. She leapt up onto the roof again, attempting to keep the high ground, but Autriel was already on her way back up. Under the cover of a ball of fire, she tackled Gusoyn and dragged her up the roof to the peak. Autriel yelled, "Why so on the defensive all of a sudden? Scared?" Gusoyn snarled and performed an impressive feat of leg strength. She kicked Autriel's lower body up, while simultaneously punching her in the nose. As Autriel's body did a somersault, Gusoyn broke Autriel's weakened grip. She scooted out of the way, grabbed Autriel's shoulders and jammed her horns into the peak of the roof, right into the ridge board. She landed in an awkward position.

Autriel took a moment to realize what happened, then let out a deafening insulted roar. She tried to quickly jerk her head out and failed. The second time she gave a great heave and split the board, ripping it right out from under the roof. She stood up and ripped the partial board off her horns. She jammed it in her mouth, reduced it to charcoal in less than a second, and then crushed it in her jaws. At that moment, the roof gave way and she fell into the house.

Gusoyn leapt into the ground and said, "I may have poked the metaphorical bear. You should probably move." I should've done anything other than stand there. She crouched with three limbs on the ground and stared into the smoking house. I could hear her whispering rapidly. "Where? Where? Where? Where?" What was left of the side of the house exploded in a ball of flaming wood, plaster dust, and glass. Autriel's foot impacted with Gusoyn's stomach, and she slammed into a tree. The back of her head smacked the trunk. The ancient oak split down the middle. Gusoyn moved a little, then slumped over.

Autriel turned to me with predatory eyes and said, "Your turn. Are you up for round two?"

She must've been in some kind of blood rage. I was being punished for standing and doing nothing while Gusoyn fought her. I shouldn't have assumed she'd win or Autriel would back down. Now, she was hungry for more destruction and I was paying for not being prepared. I backed off toward the car. She noticed and threatened, "Oh, you're going for the car? Were you planning on running, like the absolute human you are? I'm confident I can destroy that thing from here, and then you'll be stuck with me."

I nervously made a defensive stance. All I had was myself. "Actually, I was going for the gun. As much as it pains me to threaten you with lethal force, I'm guessing it's the only think you'll listen to right now. I guess if I do, you'll destroy the car, and I'll still be stuck with you."

She chuckled and said, "Funny paradox isn't it? Now human, luck isn't on your side anymore. I think it's time to give you a sense of perspective! Show me what passes for combat among your misbegotten kind!"

"You know, I'm trying to think of some kind of witty retort, but nothing's coming up. Uhhhh, fuck you."

She shrugged, "I've heard worse." She sliced the cables to the air conditioning unit, kicked it into the air with one foot, then struck it with the palm of her hand. It flew toward me at great speed, and I barely dodged it. I rolled behind a small tree.

Autriel wasn't impressed with my cover, and inhaled. There wasn't enough time to react. In the blink of an eye, a ball of fire approached me, and I just closed my eyes. I felt a warm sensation envelop me, and thought this was it. This was the end. I could see the yellow glow behind my eyelids.

But I felt nothing more. I opened my eyes to see everything around me scorched black. Everything around this black cone was on fire. My clothes were almost nonexistent. The tree in front of me was roasted. Autriel looked just as stunned as I was. Not a hair on my body was singed.

She stammered, "What? How?" Suddenly, she realized, "Oh, it's because you… Fine! Pummeling you into submission is more satisfying anyway!"

She charged the tree, chopping it in half. I dodged again. While the tree was mid-air, I had the sudden feeling like I could move it. Logic and experience said no, but something else said yes. I decided to kick it toward where Autriel was. Surprisingly, it worked.

The tree slammed against Autriel, who staggered, but was not knocked prone. She sneered. "About time you started opening up." I retorted, "If this is opening up, we should keep to ourselves." She roared and leapt at me, claws bared. This time, I felt like I could stand my ground, so I did.

Autriel slammed into me and my feet dug into the soil. She gave off a surprised face. I used the shock to push her off balance, and then threw a haymaker right into the side of her face. It worked shockingly well. She fell backward and hit the ground with a great thud. I attempted to get on top and pin her, but she suddenly howled, "No! I'm always the highest!" and struck me in my chest. I flew backwards and rolled in the dirt, flinging grass everywhere.

She was already on the offensive again. Her silhouette blocked out the sun as she flew towards me, readying a finishing blow. I met it with both my hands. I pushed her back and returned the punch. She blocked with both her armored forearms and skidded across the grass. I screamed, "Why?! Have you been plotting to kill me this whole time?!"

She stood there, every exhale came with a puff of flame. She yelled, "No! I'm just unfathomably angry!"

We began pacing in a circle. I asked, "Why? And why take it out on me?"

"Because look at me! I have these stupid, clunky claws! I can't do anything with them! I create fire with every breath and destroy things! Every part of me except the quote-unquote 'important bits' is covered in armored scale! Am I just dancing around my nature as some mindless automaton of death and sex? I swoop in, raze the town, snag a man, and then reproduce! Rinse and repeat!"

I yelled, "That's stupid! Look at all you've done! You've helped us survive! You've stuck with me on my journey east!"

She spat, "Oh I'm just along for the ride! At the end of the day, I'm the monologuing dragon that's doomed to be unhappy for her entire life and then come back as some undead fuckdoll!"

I said, "Woah. Language. But you have a mind of your own! Maybe you should start asking yourself big questions! Who are you, and what do you want?"

She gripped her head and bellowed, "They didn't tell me how to know what I wanted! I don't know how to be anything else! Every time I asked, they laughed at me! I don't have an answer and wouldn't know what one looked like if you threw it in my face!"

I said, "Then why are you so violent about it?"

She bayed her head back and yelled at the sky. "Because I'm scared and confused! I have all these fantasies and wishes stored in my head, but every time I try to talk to someone about it, I'm immediately laughed at!" Then she pointed at me accusingly, slowly advanced, and said, "And all the humans I grabbed and asked were cowards like you. They didn't know anything and just went along with it. They gave up so easily. I had a theory they secretly enjoyed it. You haven't exactly proven it wrong."

I took offense, "Oh I'm the coward? Look who's talking about being scared about sharing her fantasies with a 'lowly human'? What? Am I different?"

She threw up a cone of fire, blinding me. I'd already seen her use fire as a smoke screen, but wasn't used to it yet. She slammed into me from the side, sliced my arm with her claws, and then dragged them across my chest on the way out. I flew across the front porch, crashed through a support beam, and ripped the porch swing off its hinges. Three huge gashes opened up on my arm and chest. I should have died many times over, but didn't. As I pulled myself up, she marched toward me, her face still expressing rage.

"Yes! You've got real potential, you just run from it! You run from everything, and that just makes it worse. It's hard to say someone's special to you if they frustrate you so much!"

She was a few steps away from me and I said, "Why don't you fucking run at me, then?! I'm standing my ground!"

I saw red. I don't know what triggered this particular burst of emotions and adrenaline. Maybe it was some sort of challenge of honor or something. I wasn't going to have someone tell me I wasn't giving it my all and get away with it.

She charged, readying a blow to my face. In a surprisingly graceful move, took advantage of her momentum and grabbed her by the arm. She had a shocked expression on her face. I continued the movement, lifted her over me, and body slammed her to the ground. The impact was deafening. The earth around shook and leaves fell from trees. She hit the ground so hard she bounced. It was on that bounce that I clasped my hands together, brought them down on her torso, and doubled the size of the hole made a few seconds ago. The sound was so loud, I had a brief ringing in my ears.

I attempted to restrain Autriel from above and we locked hands. She put both her legs against my side, holding me there. She held for a moment, smiled, then exhaled in defeat, dropping me onto her. I realized too late that neither of us was wearing anything, and that was when "something" inserted.

I laid on top for a moment as she twitched. She said in a quiet voice, "There we go." I had no words.

She continued, also quietly. "You know, maybe bottom isn't so bad after all. Hey, I just thought of two fantasies I have." I asked, still trying to suddenly shift gears, "What?"

"I'd like to be good friends and on equal grounds with a human. And maybe, one day… a good mom. That would be a fine start."

I said as confidently as I could, "I thought I was doing the first already. I guess I can help with the second if you really want to."

"Please do. I don't want the hellhound's commentary constantly running in the background."

I exhaled, "You have a really weird way of expressing yourself."

Meanwhile, in a local police station, a chief was sitting in his office and wondering why nobody had called him yet, when one of his deputies came in the door.

"Chief, we have reports of an armed car chase and wreck on highway 34. A concerned citizen informed us. We also heard over the radio that someone may be using explosive ordinance west of Fairfield."

"Y'know. I heard they were going to try something, but suddenly when taking the law into their own hands doesn't go well, they immediately come crying to us. It's probably over by now. Order an investigation of the scene, and figure out what car they were pursuing. Then, send out an APB for all units to avoid or ignore, but monitor our 'suspect' for the time being."

"Avoid or ignore?"

"You heard me. I don't know why the hell they think he's important, but he is. Those are the orders for now."

"Sir, if this is the guy I think it is, why don't we just put him into custody? He's obviously linked to a car chase and nobody shoots at somebody for no reason. If word about what happened in Osceola is true, he didn't resist when they stopped him. Maybe he's scared and he'll come willingly."

The police chief scratched his police chief mustache, then pointed at his deputy. "Or he's spooked into a panic and he'll run from everyone. We don't have the manpower to maintain order and perform a manhunt across every damn cornfield in this state. The point is, he's heading in a direction we want him to for now, and it's a fairly straight course. If he really is some kind of magnet, and the higher ups are somewhat convinced he is, then we're supposed to plan around that."

"What do you think, sir?"

"Oh I think it's a load of bull. I think this is some guy who's had a string of bad luck, and the locals suddenly have a target on him. I'm gonna need to see some more before I believe he's some kind of "harbinger of monsters".

Suddenly, a new lieutenant ran into the office, holding a paper with some hasty scribbles on it. He panted, "Chief!"

"Barkley. What's up?"

Barkley stuttered for a bit, then spoke. "They're moving again!"

The chief leaned forward in his chair and put his fist on the desk. "Please tell me it's not north."

"It's east."

The other officer looked at the man in the chair and said, "Harbinger of monsters?"

The chief slowly lifted his fist up, then brought it down and pounded the desk. "Damn it!"

Imagine, if you will, you are hovering in the air, high enough that you can see the entire state. Imagine the state is dark; No artificial lights, no moon, no stars. Now, if you'd been paying attention in Autriel's magic lessons and focused a little, you'd see little pinpricks of light across the landscape. All of them are in various colors and fairly evenly distributed, except for this one place. Previously known as Osceola, the town is now the center for this spiral of little lights. They're all twinkling around the area, but other lights are attracted to this thing that looks like a fledgling galaxy. It slowly grows.

Suddenly, a brighter than usual light you didn't notice before shoots out to the right, with a few smaller lights in tow. It travels for some time, stopping or changing course occasionally, looking similar to a drunken satellite in the night sky. The cluster doesn't notice at first, but then all of the lights stop dancing about. Slowly but surely, they begin moving their way toward the escaping light.

Honestly, I wish Autriel would tell me things as soon as she learns about them.


	8. Madness and the Media

Dechala was realizing that being the leader was a lot harder than she assumed it would be. If she'd known at the time how complicated leadership was and how much of an energy desert this world was, she'd have stuck with the boss from the beginning. Now, she was the de facto boss, or captain, since the group had changed the title. Even then, the situation was complicated, as she wasn't even that. She was first mate and the human was supposed to be the captain, since he'd won by the rules of combat. Of course, they'd never follow him, since hellhounds never, and she put emphasis on never, gave in to human will. At least they weren't supposed to.

To top it all off, hellhounds also rarely grouped together at all, so there was little precedent for this sort of thing. Gusoyn blew that out of the water when she suddenly decided to join the human on his journey. Dechala's position was only supported by the spontaneous decision of a human, a power vacuum created by their leader basically leaving them, and the crew's new obsession with pirate culture("because every crew's gotta have a cap'n!). Inside her, she felt a pang of betrayal. Why would Gusoyn leave her pack for a human? Of course now, the reason was obvious, but it still hurt.

Morale wasn't the best either. One of them had broken their arm to a hidden explosive device. It was badly mauled, but if any of them were human, it would have been destroyed entirely. Apparently, some humans had left some traps on their way out of town. After they'd avenged their sister, Dechala interrogated the nerdier-looking serfs until she found one who knew what the trap was. She then got him busy recreating it, so the crew knew the smell and could sense another, then maybe pay the humans back. She noticed the man looked pessimistic, but continued through lack of choice.

She sat up on the bed and stared out the window of the long haul truck cabin she was in. She'd picked up the trucker a day ago. He'd been surprisingly cooperative. After being told of the chaos outside, threatened with his life, and then being presented some ass, he was more than happy to dump his cargo and have his trailer be turned into the new "flagship" of their "fleet". The cabin was strangely luxurious; Dechala didn't consider cargo haulers to be on the wealthier end of the social spectrum. Maybe he transported precious metals. The man himself was rather rugged, steadfast, amicable, and although somewhat pudgy, wielded a godlike jawline. He also looked good in flannel and smelled of oil. Overall, she thought he was a good pick, not that he had a choice. Currently, he was snoring away on the other side of the bed.

They would have to move in the morning, but Dechala was staring out of the window wondering why that was. She'd given the order, because that's what the human Gusoyn (and her group) was following was doing. However, that begged the question as to why they even were. Did they know? Was it like those flocks of birds that, when suddenly one flew, they all took off? Everyone else was flying, so they did as well. Of course, that human was the only one she'd been able to sense with significant spirit energy. The other ones were barely cutting it. The crew was eating more food than usual to compensate, and the idea of living off energy alone was out of the question.

She held her tricorn hat she'd looted from the costume shop. The whole pirate gimmick was funny… back then. She participated for laughs, but she just didn't have as much desire to stick with it as the rest of them. It was like a joke that had been running for so long, nobody was able to return to the way it was. Still, it was a position that was put upon her. Maybe she'd get used to it, or even learn to enjoy it. For now, she was just tired. What does someone whose goal was to consume spiritual energy do when she's suddenly found in a place that has very little? She believed Gusoyn asked that same question and moved on. Dechala kept trying to convince herself that the ex-leader must have had good and unselfish reasons; that maybe this was some kind of great test to see how the rest of the pack would do without her. Maybe.

Clearly, the horde to the north started to move, and she'd have to be stupid to not know why. Maybe she would follow ahead of them and rejoin Gusoyn. Hopefully they could take the human and somehow run. No, that would be impossible. They would sense him and rip anything or anyone in between apart. Gods help them if the horde actually caught up.

Dechala actually had a small secret. Unlike the vast majority of hellhounds, she was modestly talented in magic. Rather than simply being able to sense energy or burn hers, she was able to manipulate it. Self-taught, she tended to keep this to herself. Casters were viewed, putting it mildly, as colossal nerds among the crew. When she had the opportunity, she would practice or experiment. She was now, and produced a small, smokeless flame in the palm of her hand. That was it, just a small candle flame without a candle. That's all there was and she was happy with it. She focused on it and then played with it some. She changed the size, the shape, and eventually juggled it between her hands. She liked the subtle things. There were times when she'd gotten too confident. They'd questioned her when she inexplicably found water, or jumped farther than people thought possible, or how everyone chasing her tended to trip over the earth. They were confused about how every wild animal they'd come across seemed to adore her. Deep down, she felt Gusoyn had secretly known, but said nothing.

Being sensitive to such things meant that she could feel the background buzz of the nearby horde. It was there, like a distant, yet constant demented scream. It ebbed and flowed, but she'd noticed over the past few days that it was growing. It wasn't just growing in volume. It was progressively getting more intense and more unhinged. She actually wasn't looking forward to the past few nights because, when everything was quiet, the twisted psychic background static created by whatever was happening north of her was the only thing to hear. It made her irritable if she let it get to her. Sleep wasn't bad, but the noise followed her in her dreams as well. She worried if it was eating away at her sanity just by proxy. She hoped anyone sensitive close to the epicenter had left beforehand. The constant collective interference would have driven anyone mad. As much of the "fearless leader" persona she put on, she admitted to herself that the unfiltered manifestation of the mob mentality scared her a little. She didn't want to be near it, much less face it.

Truth be told, it was only since she'd encountered the human that she'd started slowly having less in common with the rest of the mamano. The crew had already been an independent group to start with, but when they discussed joining the greater group, there was a great lack of interest. Dechala and everyone there still had their instincts and enjoyed them to the fullest, but now it felt like they had gained a hint of insight.

She used to get along with the other unholy denizens of the underworld where she previously lived. Ever since her encounter with the human, she'd had more and more trouble being around them. The imps were screechy little brats. The demons constantly ran an obnoxious amount of mental gymnastics to the point where casual conversation was impossible. The alps were just… unnerving. She knew she'd never had any trouble with them a few weeks ago, but now it was impossible to remember how she stood being in their presence.

She'd had very little respect for humanity beforehand, but now some of them were joining the ranks as converted succubi. Right now, all of them were of the lesser form; It would take a few days for this to go into full effect. Thing was, they were the worst ones.

Sharing the metaphorical neighborhood with demonic creatures meant Dechala had seen some pretty interesting kinks. Half of the ones she knew just from them. However, at the end of the day, nobody held a candle to the humans. Oh, some of them ran at first; They were the standard ones. It was the ones that turned around with a smile and charged toward conversion that were the most twisted. She'd personally seen a woman, three minutes into her new life as a lesser succubus, do the most dementedly creative things to a poor soul on top of a dining room table. Three other demons were there, along with Dechala watching. They all stood and watched her find random household items and then take enormous amounts of delight once she thought of something to do with them. The man started screaming at the five minute mark, and she just met him in volume. All of the mamano, born and raised to try the same, could not move a muscle.

After what seemed like forever, she realized the man had passed out. She hopped off of the table and looked directly at Dechala. For the second time in her life, the hellhound was intimidated. She looked into the pair of bloodshot eyes that seemed to be an infinite wellspring of emotions and desires. A lot of people would want to describe it as a death of something and a birth of something else, but it wasn't. It was simply a realization; a true casting away of restraint. The daemonette could do whatever she wanted, and nothing short of death would stop her. She had no ties and nothing to lose. Morality be damned. After Dechala got a glimpse at someone who had bested her at her own game, the woman casually walked out the door and left a trail of fluids.

Dechala wondered if the humans here were the same as the ones in her world, because this one just walked away uncaring of the other mamano around her. She also wondered what kept other mamano together, if anything at all. They had the same ultimate goals in mind, but was there anything more to create a sense of solidarity? She hadn't thought of that until recently.

I awoke finding myself lying on my back in the grass. The evening sun shone over the plains. I looked around without moving, and learned I was still where I left myself. Autriel was also where I last left her, jammed inside a bush. I could only see her legs and tail sticking out of it, and could hear her snoring. I also felt a chill and realized that any clothing on me had also been incinerated. Unfortunately, I realized it also meant my phone had been destroyed as well. I had been pretty diligent with backing it up, but that was a major disappointment. I saw the tree and the cone of blackened grass, and slowly pulled myself up.

Gusoyn was also where she was last left as well. She was already awake and looking at me. I whispered, "Hi. You doing okay?" She was silent for a few seconds, then responded, "Yeah. I have a splitting headache." I stood up and shuffled towards the burned tree and asked, "You feeling nauseous?" She leaned back towards the cracked trunk and said, "No, I don't think I've hurt my head too badly." I answered, "Great." and began sifting through the ash, hoping my phone and wallet hadn't been destroyed. I was disappointed to find a hand-sized blob of plastic and metal, with the remains of leather nearby. I had lost any means of communication or identification. Wonderful, and I was getting hungry, too.

Gusoyn somehow managed to read my mind. She said, "I'm hungry. Think there's anything inside that house, or what's left of it? Also, do you want to wake Autriel?"

I looked back at the dragon in a bush. "I'll give her a little longer and scavenge the house before I do it. For now, she's got the world to herself. Dream on." There was nothing of value to be found in the house, especially foodstuffs. Power had been cut out long ago, and nonperishable foods in the pantry were missing. I went back and shook Autriel's bush. "Hey. Get up."

From inside the leaves, I heard, "I am… awake. Why in bush?" I sighed and said, "It's a long story." Suddenly, a clawed hand with an index finger pointed toward the sky burst through the bush. Slurred speech came from inside it. "But, it is a story I have read… and reviewed. I rate eight out of eight; would read again." I kept the conversation going by asking, "Yeah, and what was the genre?"

There was a long pause, followed by, "post-apocalyptic". I was a little taken aback, "I didn't know you guys had that genre yet." She started shuffling around in the bush and said, "Humanity went through a weird End-Times phase a few decades ago. Books from that time were really depressing and always stayed around because nobody wanted them." I mockingly said, "Nerd."

The finger returned, this time pointed at me. "You are thunderously lucky I'm not awake enough to get myself out of this bush." There was silence for a while, then I asked, "Are you hungry?" She answered, "No, I'm full. You still have to eat, though. Help me out of this." I did so, and then we all mosied our way to the car. I had left the keys inside, which in any other scenario, would have been disastrous.

Behind me, Gusoyn lightly punched Autriel on the shoulder and whispered, "Proud of you." The dragon responded with, "Oh shut up."

Fairfield was the closest town, and it was a ways away. I also started to notice that the air was quite chilly. Autriel agreed to start generating heat, like some kind of winged space heater. Last I checked my phone, yesterday was actually Halloween, which meant today was All Saint's Day. I thought that was funny, but didn't know why. I just started the car and drove off.

I broke the silence and asked what home was like for the other two. They actually perked up at this question. Autriel, now woken up, responded first. "Well, it's mostly dark. There's far less difference between the sun and moon there. All the colors are different, too; Pink rivers, black trees, and red moons. A lot of the flora also give off their own light. You've actually seen it before, back when we dumped off the meat. The air is a lot more humid, and there's more stuff in it. I lived in the mountains, and the realms tend to be closer and more intense to sea level, so I haven't been in it for long periods of time. That being said, humans might find it oppressive and alien, but it's always pleasant for me. Regardless, I think home is something you make, but I assumed by your question you meant my native environment." I turned to Gusoyn and said, "What about you?"

She continued picking plaster dust out of her fur and said, "I lived near a volcanic vent in the same mountain range as Autriel's actually. I liked the whole area. Lava, heat, rocks, and steam were always really pretty to me. It was kind of chaotic, yet powerful. Stuff was always happening and changing. I've hung around mamano realms for a while, and they're nice, but home is always home." I responded, "Fair enough".

Gusoyn was quiet for a second, then leaned over toward me and looked at the dashboard. She pointed at the speedometer. "The zero on that means we're not moving, right?" I answered, "Yes."

"And the red pointer shows how fast we're going."

"Yes."

"So, that would mean the hundred and twenty is the fastest this construct can go, right?"

"Again, yes. What's your point?"

"Why aren't we going that fast, then?"

"The speed limit. We have to go at that speed."

"What's this about lemons?"

"No, a limit. Our speed is limited."

"By what, the sign we just passed? What happens when we break this limit?"

"We get pulled over by the police."

Gusoyn shrugged. "Do you really think they have the manpower to stop one person in the middle of all this? Even if they see you, they'll probably think you're running from one of us. Come on, a little advantage of the chaos."

I winced, "You're probably right, but I've never driven at that speed before."

"The road is more or less straight and has been for days. You are nude and hungry."

"You think I'm not aware of that? I figured I'd just not address one of those things and save myself at least some of the awkwardness."

"The point is, it's every man for himself. You are not going to get anything right now by following rules that can't be enforced."

I considered for a moment. Then, almost subconsciously, I switched the cruise control off. I placed my foot on the accelerator, and slowly depressed it. The speedometer hit eighty, then ninety, and right at a hundred was when I started grinning. Something in me must have snapped, because a few seconds later I was uncontrollably giggling like a kid who'd gotten his hands on something he wasn't supposed to. The wind was deafening. Autriel looked up from the girly magazine she'd found under the seat and had a look of minor concern. Gusoyn looked back and waved her hand reassuringly with a smug look on her face.

Imagine seeing a station wagon zooming by on the highway. It's going double what it's supposed to be and the moderate engine inside isn't used to those speeds. The driver's door is missing entirely, and the person at the wheel is wearing nothing but a maniacal look on his face. Inside are two mamano. One is whooping and hollering with her upper half sticking out the window, while the other is silently in the back reading a porno mag.

If any police had seen me, they'd have probably tased me on the spot and then torn apart the car in search of every drug imaginable.

My slow descent into insanity aside, I'd like to insert something into the story, with the author's permission, of course. I've tried to keep as anonymous as possible, but one particularly determined journalist managed to find me. He published an article on me a while back, but for reasons I can't fathom, it was removed from the publisher. He was pleasant and I really feel like he was the only person who actually did us justice. Because of that, he's agreed to let me paste his article into here. I think here is the best spot for a sense of reassurance.

~~Begin Article~~

It's been quite some time since monsters first invaded our world. They seem to be a passionate and disorganized lot, and attempts at diplomacy have given mixed results at best. While some of the races are relatively more cooperative than others, some outright refuse to talk of peace, or at all for that matter. Of course, that hasn't stopped individual humans and interest groups from investigating the possibilities of co-existence. Biologists have been gathering data based on mostly second-hand information from human males. One thing experts are certain of, is that monsters are an entirely female species, and require humans to reproduce, with many ways to achieve this. In response, a front of mostly human women has formed, warning the world that if the situation isn't handled with care, humanity may lose control over the world it once dominated, or even go extinct; Certainly a scary thought.

Now that their overall population has stagnated, monsters have generally avoided civilization, although they have been confirmed to be intelligent enough to establish their own proto-nations. Other races have formed smaller, tribalistic societies. Ultimately, satellite imaging has reported a slow, mass exodus to rural and wilderness places in Africa, Asia, and South America.

But what of those who stay? Interspecies true relationships are rare, and usually one-sided. While humans may have numbers, monsters certainly have everything else. Today, I interviewed one individual who appears to have become an adept in the nature of the beast.

His history is most curious. He led the life of an average young man, until suddenly it was turned on its head while on his post as a forest fire lookout in Wyoming. It's known that he headed east, but with the chaos of the time, there are constant contradictions to events surrounding him. What's stranger, fact or fiction? He's only responded to those questions with a smile, wink, and nod. As time passes, and the country gathers the past more accurately he seems to amaze on a regular basis.

To some, he's a legendary character; The Hero of Charlottesville. However, his path is filled with many questions and we have little answers. Where? Only there. When? Only then. Is he a hero or a hooligan? That part's never clear. Did he do it out of pride or shame? Is it all the same? Who's innocent and who's to blame? Was it politics, or just a game? Well, in the end, all we truly know is his name as Richard. However, he dropped out of public notice, and now leaves the rest to everyone else. For the sake of privacy, he's asked for his last name to not be disclosed.

Through great effort and much time, I managed to discover his contact information. He was on guard at first, but agreed to an interview as long as I didn't reveal his address.

I approached the house with some trepidation, armed with nothing but my wits and my shoulder-mounted camera. It had two stories, the outside made of brick. The lawn was moderately well taken care of, with a few patches of dandelion and clover. Next to the road was an unoccupied roadstand made from plywood that said, "Great Ideas: $1". The only thing on the table was a tupperware container with a notebook inside it. A lone empty and two shovels were the only thing on the grass. Trees were numerous, and provided ample shade. As I looked upward, I discovered a well-hidden treehouse. It had been painted camouflage colors, and was invisible from the road. Sticks had been adhered to the walls to further disguise it. Behind the house, I could see the backyard quickly turned into a dense forest. I could hear children's voices from there. On the exterior, it seemed innocent.

Previously, I had started my career in journalism as an amateur paranormal investigator. Exploring the supernatural had always excited me, and I experienced many frights. As I walked up the brick pathway, I felt a burst of nostalgia. I was again exploring the unknown, but this time, it was very real. Nearly shaking with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness, I rang the doorbell.

I immediately heard yelling from a small child. A girl from the inside exclaimed, "He's here! He's here!" I heard the sound of small, but rapid footsteps running away from the door. Strangely, they turned into clicking noises as they went over hardwood. They abruptly stopped with the sound of a screen door slamming shut. I then heard larger, more ponderous steps, the door swung wide, and revealed a seemingly unremarkable man.

He didn't look special, but he gave an unnatural aura of subtle, yet calm, strength and willpower. His posture was comfortable and confident. He asked, "Join me out back?" I agreed, and we walked through the house. Again the interior of the house looked as normal(if a little more chaotic) as the outside. We exited to a screened back porch. Richard opened up a cooler with ice and grabbed two glasses. "Dark rum?" I accepted.

Richard sat in a cushioned chair, facing me and the rest of the yard. He was also watching his children playing in the forest. All six of them. Two were clearly draconic. One was hovering a few yards off the ground and pulling on a vine in a tree. The other was holding a piece of paper. Their green scales on their limbs camouflaged them somewhat. Horns protruded from their head, but that didn't stop one from wearing a red ballcap.

Three more moved about, gathering large sticks. One carried a sapling trunk much larger than a person her size was supposed to. They were black, not African-American, literally black. Ears poked out of the top of their head, yet one also wore a newsboy cap with holes cut in the top. I'm fairly farsighted, so I noticed their ears twitching my way every time I spoke.

Standing out from the rest was a regular human boy. He was slightly taller than his siblings(minus the horns and ears) and had long, brown hair. He also wore a pair of pointed orange sunglasses. They looked like he had them cut out of plexiglass and then screwed temples to them. At first, I was worried I would come into this witnessing a horrible case of bullying, but it never happened. If anything, he was in charge. He grabbed the battered piece of paper from his sister, and began looking at it. They appeared to be constructing a fort and a bridge across a creek. I turned away, switched on the camera, and began my interview with an opening question. "So, how's life been treating you?"

Richard took a sip of his drink and breathed in the summer air. "Pretty good, gotta say. Should've brought the fan out here."

I probed, "That's quite a few of them out there. They seem to be working on something."

"Oh yeah. Fort...uh…Something. I forget what they called it. They came up with the idea after they watched cartoons. Finished the episode, and then suddenly Aurelio's inspired. The rest just follow. It usually goes like that."

"...And Aurelio is?"

"He's the one human; the one in the yellow shirt. Tough little dude. Smart too. The rest of 'em are pretty headstrong, but when he's got something to say, they listen. Hell, they'll follow him better than me."

"I'm not familiar with their names."

"Okay, the one flying is Kreia. She was my first. Her and her sister, Andrea(Can't see her right now), are pretty smart. They'd give Aurelio a run for his money if they didn't look up so much to him. They're the kind of people you have to be very specific on your wording. Don't get me wrong, they listen, but they will bend every rule they can to as close to breaking point as possible and love to ask questions. Kreia's better academically than Andrea, but that's probably because the latter doesn't take school as seriously. On the other hand, she takes care of a turtle pond a little way into the forest. We call it Andy's Pond. We call her Andy by the way."

"Sounds nice. What of the other three?"

"They're the hellhound race, with non-identical twins and a single one. We've got Hevestuli, Audrey, and Roslyn. The first name was my idea. They're a fun bunch, if really rebellious. To be honest, I like how they question authority, even me. They're not as subtle as the dragon kids, but I've learned a lot of lessons about myself from them. At the end of the day, they listen to me, but I'm glad they have their own personalities."

I sat there and wondered how he could describe the situation normally. Here he was, the man who broke the advance to Washington, and he was speaking of them as if they were just as equal as he was. "You speak of them as if they were normal kids."

He looked a little shocked. "They're not, obviously. Treating them the same would be horrible. I mean, you can't look at them and think 'Oh yeah, that won't make other parents remove their kids from school.' That being said, the same discipline and guidance still works on them. Autriel's always said that 'The fundamentals of the soul never change', or something like that. I gotta agree. Monsters' personalities are a combination of nature versus nurture. They just happen to have a lot of nature and I have to adapt to that. Honestly, teach them how to be decent people with healthy habits and they'll fill in the rest."

This was a very unique perspective, but did the other male in the household think so? "I'd like to return to the human boy, Aurelio. There are some who believe he's destined for abuse and it will only continue to get worse as he gets older. Do you think his development would be hampered?"

Richard went from shocked to confused. "I don't know why they think that. Kids are surprisingly durable. Again, nature versus nurture. Aurelio's got a charisma that has me jealous. His sisters look up to him like this 'man with the plan' and the strength to back it up. This is despite the fact that they're all physically superior. Honestly, I think the big household brought it out of him. Lack of options is a great motivator, and I think he had to choose between asserting himself, or running away."

That had me interested. "So…" I tapped my thoughts notebook with a pencil. "Do you think that he accepted the challenge of being outnumbered and outwilled and that brought out his potential for leadership?"

Richard swung his arm. "Absolutely! You don't truly know what you're made of until your limits are strained. Faced with a challenge, people find themselves or find themselves lacking. Unconsciously or not, I think he realized this. You know, the rest of them might have him beat in all physical attributes, but he's the first one to charge into a game of dodgeball. He's also the one who gets hurt the most, but not by his sisters. It's because he was the first one to jump whatever gap was in front of him. If he can't leap over it, he gets Kreia or Andrea to fly him over. It actually makes me really proud of him, almost to the point of tears."

"You've certainly put a lot of thought into this."

He had an embarrassed look on his face. "Been working on that spiel for a month."

I continued my questions about the boy, "What about at school?"

"The kids tend to stick together at school, but they have friends. Sometimes one will come over. Everyone has their circle of friends that frequently overlap with each other, so a few of us will go off if they're in the neighborhood. Overall, they stay mostly for the other kids. A lot of folks know about us here and at school. You know, they'll be riding down the road in the minicar with the wagon in tow and people'll say, 'There goes the [Censored] kids. The minicar's what we called one of those small electric kid cars. A while back I found a better motor and battery pack. That thing will keep up with golf carts now."

It seemed like his train of thought easily went places. "That's very interesting, but to get back on topic, how are they integrating into the school system?"

He rubbed his head and made a groaning noise. "They're… fine, mostly. Aurelio's the best, but that's probably because he's the human in the room. The dragon girls come a close second. They seem pretty interested in knowledge and follow along. However, the hellhound ones have a lot of trouble. They're not bad, but I'll admit the classroom is one of the worst places to put them. It just… doesn't work, and there's no option other than homeschooling. I'm not going to put them into some remedial school because one: I don't want them dumped into those piss-poor conditions simply because they have authority issues, and two: The system there is geared toward humans anyway. It's simply their nature, and we're going to have to figure out a way other than assembly line education."

Again, he was speaking of them like there was no difference between human children and them. "Speaking of your previously-mentioned nature versus nurture subject, you said they have significantly more nature than most. Care to elaborate?"

"Sure. They don't do well in confined spaces. The dragons especially have claustrophobia. Overall, they have very obvious personalities that can't really be fought or suppressed. You just gotta work with it. Making them understand that they're physically superior is a biggie and it's good to get that right out of the way first. Or you could be like Aurelio and just convince them to work for you. Being able to fly is also a major hassle and keeps you on your toes. I mean, how do you teach someone something you can only guess how it works? The hellhounds violently oppose only the most forceful of direct orders. Instead,(and this is true for both of them, really) you get them to respect you and have a mutual understanding that you're the boss at the end of everything. That certainly comes with responsibility, and micromanaging would be almost impossible with them. In short, let them be them until they come across something they need help with."

The amount of effort seemed enormous. It was like throwing darts in the dark. "Then, why so many when you had so little knowledge?"

He paused for a second and breathed deeply. "You know, I still think relationships should stick with one person. I know, big hypocrite, but hear me out. Having more than one partner I think cheapens each relationship. Commiting to one shows a sign of trust. That being said, I kinda saw it as a challenge. I thought a lot of more conservative values were gonna return when I thought the world might be ending, so decided to spite that and said, 'F*** it.'"

"And?"

"So I did."

"I see."

At that moment, the children stopped and were coming toward us. One of the dragons took off toward a second story window. She opened it and disappeared inside. The boy had a pair of lawn clippers in one hand and a branch in his other that looked like it had been used to beat other flora. He opened the screen door. "Hey dad, we're coming in."

Richard looked over. "Cool. No yard stuff in the house."

Aurelio loaded the stick like a spear and chucked it across the yard. One of the hellhound girls immediately bolted off, leapt over a bush, grabbed it mid-air, and landed on her feet. She stared at the stick, before dropping it and returning on her way inside.

The boy called from inside. "Can we play with the cart?"

Richard yelled back, "Sure, just put some pants on if you're going out front."

"I lost mine."

"Don't care if you wear one of Hevestuli's skirts. Just put on more than underwear."

Richard looked back toward me. "He's probably going to get his grass skirt again."

I was incredulous. "He has a grass skirt?"

Richard chuckled. "Yeah. Made of actual grass. Problem was, he tore up the sod in the backyard making it. I confiscated it after he did that. I'm not sure how much grass it takes to make one, but I'm pretty sure he has a spare hidden he's not telling me about."

The personality of this boy kept getting more and more interesting. I came here thinking I would be walking into some social hellscape, where the humans cowered in terror under the might of a terrifying race. Instead, I found that they were thriving under it. Of course, not everyone has the same temperament, but it had just simply worked out for them.

Richard continued, "Let's head to the front. I want to keep my eye on them." We did so. He said he had to stop by the restroom quickly, and instructed me to go outside and wait for him. The kids were already in the front yard. They had removed the small car, and the human boy was in the driver's seat. They appeared to be arguing over something. Ignoring the rest of them, one of the dragons grabs a nearby bucket and begins filling it with water. This goes unnoticed by the rest of them. Once filled halfway, she stands over the bucket and begins gesturing. Slowly, but surely, the water rises out of the container and hovers there above it.

I had heard rumors about supposed "magical children". They were youths with supernatural abilities that were previously unheard of. I'd never seen it with my own eyes before. The girl's hands slowly and flowingly moved while she stared in concentration at the sphere of water. Suddenly, she violently gestured towards her siblings.

The ball of water shot across and broke apart halfway to it's target, dousing two of the hellhounds. There was an immediate roar, followed by the two pouncing toward the dragon. She had already started to take flight, but was immediately grabbed by both legs and "dragged" downward.

As she went down, fire sprayed out of her mouth. The three of them rolled around in the grass, with occasional bouts of flame coming out of the scuffle. The rest watched. After a few minutes, the fight ended with them all grinning wildly. One of them said, "Let's dry off". They looked like they were about to do something, when one looked at me, then the other two met her gaze. Fortunately, I was already pretending to be more interested in my phone. They suddenly ran around the house.

Richard returned refreshed. He commented on how I looked rather shaken. I broke professionalism and stated, "Well, I've just seen someone move water with nothing but their mind and breathe fire. It's definitely questioning a lot." He sat down and said, "I bet."

I took a few deep breaths, adjusted my sunglasses, and found another question on my notepad. "So, how would you describe a relationship with these…" He finished, "Mamano." I apologized, "I'm sorry. I wasn't familiar with the correct term. Regardless, what's it like?"

He sat back and stared out into the sky. "Well, it's simultaneously the same and different. You can't treat them as human, but you should treat them as people. You can't just charge headfirst in because it's exotic, but you should expect the exotic. You can't try to dominate or tame them, but you should assert yourself, because you'll drown."

"They aren't for everyone, and each race has a different sort of… personality template. Any prospective person should definitely do their research. I have many regrets. They are not one of them, and I feel what I did was justified because it was for them. If I had to give one piece of advice, one hot tip, it would be that they never lie to you. They may hold the truth, but they will never lie. At first, I didn't know that, but now true honesty gives me the best feeling of comfort and security I've ever known. Every bruise, every scratch, every bump, every regrettable action I've done is all just hurdles to jump. That is because they are worth it, and those trials are so much easier with that. I know it, they know it, and they know I know it."

He pointed out into the horizon. "They're out there. They used to be more extreme, but things have changed recently. That was Charlottesville. I know how they used to be and so do they. They're just scared, is all. Behind that mature and sexual facade almost all of them put up, they're terrified of civilization and all it's complexities. I firmly believe that it is up to us, humanity, to run after them, grab their wrist, and say, 'Hey, why are you running? You don't have to leave, we can change for you. Come on back and let me show you something cool.' We've made a wonderful world in their absence, now let's see what we can do with them."

After that monologue, I made my finishing question. "Do you think the xenophilic movement toward them is a symptom of a growing beastiality fetish in western civilization?"

He answered flatly, "Hell no. There's a huge difference between this and that movement, with completely different origins. Discussing it would be an entirely different interview. I can tell you that, regardless of any position, ass is ass."

With that, I began one of the most interesting series of interviews in my career so far.


	9. The Chapter Where I Get Shot

During our car ride, Autriel finished reading her magazine, and said, "Your face looks like a man who can't believe he isn't dead."

I returned from my driver's hypnosis and replied, "Yeah, that has been on my mind for a while now. I won't bother asking how you know. Why?"

She clasped her hands together and said, "I have a theory. Would you like to hear it?"

I guessed it would be better than simply wondering. I said, "Sure."

"One of the most basic ways of burning energy is enhancing your physical attributes. The only thing that comes more natural is using it to sustain yourself, but humans can't do that, unfortunately. It simply requires the will and focus to do so. Since I've seen firsthand that you have copious… no, more like obnoxious amounts of the stuff… well, you can draw the conclusions."

I made a right turn off highway 34 to 34-bus. "Okay, I've drawn some. Stupid question: Is this the same stuff you're talking about that does magic?"

"It debatably is magic, but yes. Same stuff. That's just my theory anyway. If I'm correct, and I usually am, you should consider how you expend it."

I pulled into a cluster of buildings and replied with, "Mmmmm."

The local business looked like it had been forcibly evacuated. Clearly not by the local police force, unless the cops suddenly decided to create a four-foot wide hole into the side of a commercial building. We looted it, and I fortunately managed to find a worker's uniform and a pair of shoes. Socks were later found in a nearby house. Now, a shred of dignity had been restored to me. I also managed to find, almost equally importantly, a map and some pencils to mark it with. The car came with it's own compass. Around this time, Autriel had been wandering around, but then gained a look of concern on her face. She sat down cross-legged in the dirt road, closed her eyes, and began casting something, or at least focusing intently. I left her alone and tried to find some food. The only things I could get my hands on were a handful of chocolate chip granola bars and some tap water. Truly, the dinner of kings. I munched on one while picking at the scabs on my chest.

When I walked out of the house, Gusoyn and Autriel were in an animated discussion. The hellhound had adopted the dragon's worried look.

As I walked toward them, they stopped, but I asked, "Hey. Whatcha talking about?" Both of them looked at each other, waiting for the other to say something or to keep the silence.

I said, "Look, if we're going to be travelling together, we're going to have to be honest and open. Let's not act like a bunch of secretive teenagers."

Autriel piped up. "Remember that horde that invaded the town you were captured in?"

I replied, "Yes, what about them?"

For the first time, she had the hint of fear in her voice. I realized how much I had been relying on that self-assured snark for comfort. Now that the confidence was gone, she seemed very different. She said, "They're moving again toward us. I'm going to assume our car speed is the same as my flight speed, and our total travel time on the road was about an hour and a half. Therefore, I'm going to say it's a little more than a day's travel on foot for the average human. Change it a little because we're dealing with mamano, not humans…"

She suddenly looked me dead in the eyes. "A day. That's what we have."

I was dumbfounded. "What do you mean 'A day?' They're on foot and we have a car. All of this is assuming we're standing still, which we'd have to be idiots to do."

"This is true. However, behind us wasn't the only place I was looking. I think we should advance slowly and have a discreet look at the town to the east."

"Fine then, let's do that."

We all piled in the car. Autriel still kept whatever she was channeling up, and we drove a slower speed toward the town. I saw something in the distance, but it became clear about a minute into town.

The military was not fucking around this time. For some reason, they had decided that Fairfield was a strategic position, and thought it deserved much more defenses than the previous places. I got spooked and immediately swerved behind a retail store. We all got out of the car and Autriel ended her spell. We stealthily moved behind a car and I peeked out from behind it.

Fucking howitzers. Oh, and sandbags with mounted guns behind them, as well. I think I could see some people moving around. With all of this, I wouldn't be surprised if they had set up anti-air behind the barricades.

The two mamano looked to me expectantly. Gusoyn commented, "Why would they make walls made of sand in bags and stick tubes out of them?" Autriel said, "I'll fly up and try to see how far this wall goes." I put my hand on her arm and replied, "You'd return to the ground in a hundred pieces." Both of them recoiled a little bit. I said, "Sorry. That was a little dark, but seriously, let's stay on foot.

I didn't have any experience seriously looking at maps, but after consoling for a while, it appeared the firing line was set up along 22nd street. It ran north-south through the northern half of the town. We spent some more time as the sun set moving south to see if the line ended. It didn't. The line shifted to south 23rd street and continued through the town. I wasn't exactly a strategist, but it looked like they were trying to stop anyone coming from the west.

They looked at me again, and near unanimously said, "Now what?"

I thought for a second. "Let's get back to the car and see if we can go around like we have before."

We retraced our steps, and tried north, but the wall continued running parallel to highway 1. It continued until we didn't feel like trying north anymore. The same was true for the south. I played a few grand strategy games a while ago. I'm not saying this made me an expert, but it certainly teaches the basics. The more we drove, constantly failing to find an opening, the more I realized this wasn't just the town being protected.

This was a front line.

Dechala was starting to recognize the advantages of motorized transportation. She was far ahead of the horde, and had just crossed a river with minimal effort. Their convoy consisted of three semi-trucks and a school bus they had previously gutted. Two of the trucks hauled standard containers, but the third carried a full tank of diesel. This allowed them to avoid getting bogged down in large settlements and take smaller, two-lane roads. Anyone driving toward them was run off the road. This didn't disturb anyone's moral compass, as there was plenty of time to see them coming and there was even more space on the side of the road. In short, they were set for some time.

Dechala was attempting to track the man and the others. The presences of the other two were becoming more pronounced and more… synchronized with the man's, if that made any sense. Other than that, she also sensed the energy residue of a recent and intense fight. She had no idea who was in combat or why, but two very powerful individuals must have had some kind of disagreement.

Whatever the case, they were close. With her senses, the navigator's (hopefully) adequate map reading skills, and some basic trigonometry, the man and his two companions were near the next town. Hopefully this time, he wouldn't get himself captured.

In a very little amount of time, they came to the end of the trail outside of the town. Unfortunately, the three they were looking for were nowhere to be found. They also noticed the humans had put up fortifications much more impressive than anything they had seen before. After some scouts returned from reconnaissance, the other humans in their convoy were very fearful. Dechala went by the advice of the men and the descriptions of how they would all die if they performed a charge. Their quarry must have also encountered this same wall and would also logically try to make their way around it.

The plan was this: The vehicles would split up with at least one mamano in each one to track the man, while the tanker truck stayed put, out of the guns' sights. They would all stay in radio contact, the hope being that one of them would find the man, and then the other trucks would meet up as soon as possible. The plan seemed solid, and as night fell, it was put into action.

We were getting tired. I eventually decided the best place to be would be back in town, closest to civilization. There, we would have more options, even if we would be nearby a bunch of artillery pieces. I was also desperately trying to think of a plan and why the military would suddenly decide here was a good spot to set up. On our trip back, we drove past a semi truck that was driving very slowly. The gas light on the car turned on about five minutes out of town, and we decided to rest in an empty motel. By the time we arrived, the car would occasionally cough.

That was the decision. However, while we were heading back, I noticed a pair of headlights following us. I didn't think much of it until we pulled into the motel. Once it pulled under a streetlamp, I realized those lights belonged to the same truck that went past us. It just parked on the side of the road and switched it's lights off. Nobody ever came out of it, though. I told Autriel and Gusoyn to keep an eye on it. After that, we broke into a room and all tried to get some sleep. I brought the gun with me, just in case. However, I went out to go to the bathroom and the two mamano had a conversation in my absence.

Gusyon began, "Things are really getting exciting. Running's getting real tiring."

Autriel didn't share the hellhound's more positive mood. "I suppose it was inevitable. I'm just…"

"What?"

The dragon absentmindedly picked at the carpet. "Nervous. Doubtful, even fearful."

"Yeah. These humans seem to be a lot more organized than the ones we've dealt with in the past. If Richard's right, they're a lot deadlier, too. If it makes you feel any better, I've got a knot in my stomach."

Autriel chuckled. "Pffft. You've got more than that."

"You're one to talk. Are you… worried you might lose him?"

Autriel turned her head toward Gusoyn. Her eyes, normally prideful, gave off waves of worry. "Aren't you? Normally in battles you see the enemy coming. I've watched dozens. When two fight, there's time spent facing off, challenging each other. That's time to swoop in and carry him off in case things go wrong. Now, it's instantaneous. One moment you believe yourself to be secure, the next, you are a pile of gore on the ground. No chance of reacting."

"I get that. I knew when humans went to war, it could get messy. Even when we fought each other, blood could happen. The gods friendly to us stopped us short from mortal wounds."

Autriel retorted, "But all of that is gone. No more protection. No more safety barrier. No more benevolent deities or demons to save us from mistakes. I ripped a metal door off it's hinges and threw it across the road. I've breached buildings with ease. No wall can stop me forever. Now, even the most basic of peasants can end me faster than I can blink. I… I don't want to die. Is that so unreasonable? I've never had to worry about it before. If he dies, I'm afraid I might, too."

Gusoyn thought for a moment, and realized those things might be true for her as well. She sighed. "I know, but hear me out. We're stuck. We have a human army where even the lowliest grunt can get a lucky shot and kill us on one side. On the other we have another army of our own kin, who would have no problem ripping us apart to get to Richard. I… What I just said wasn't exactly the best rallying cry, but I'm not going to lie to you. I think that, if we don't find a way around this army, we're going to be in a lot of trouble."

"If only you two could fly."

"If only, but there's no sense in wishing. The pack is only as fast as it's slowest member."

"Then I guess we've got to keep moving. There's no other way. We can't fight them."

"I think we must fight them, regardless of the risk. The mamano aren't going to stop hounding us. We're going to have to confront this, ready or not. Plus, for both of us, running is going to get a lot harder in less than a year. That and…"

"And?"

"Neither of us have good opinions of other mamano, and we view humans pretty dismissively. The humans keep each others' company for the most part, but hell, I don't think mamano really care for each other at all. I might not like them, but it would haunt me for the rest of my life if I knew they were going into a meat grinder and didn't do anything about it."

"Do you plan on stopping them?"

"Maybe, but I have no idea how. I do have something to ask about you."

"Ask."

"I know dragons are one of the strongest races around. You can fly, you can cast magic, you've got great strength, you're smarter than me (though you rarely apply it), and you keep Richard on his toes."

"I hate to stop you mid-praise, but is this going somewhere?"

"But, I heard(and this is just a myth), I heard that dragons could turn back time. I don't know how, but I was told they could briefly bring back the old days, when mamano were far more destructive. It was back when we killed men, yet dragons had the will to break that."

There was a pause, a long one. Autriel stayed silent for some time. She held a hesitant look upon her face. It was the expression of a person who'd unenthusiastically suggested the nuclear option in the war room. Someone had to, but nobody wanted to be the one. Her eyes drifted around the ground, then to the ceiling. She responded, but didn't look Gusoyn in the face.

"Yes. Briefly. I don't know anyone in my life who has. It's generally frowned upon by everybody. Humans for obvious reasons, but other mamano see it as needless slaughter of potential mates and the powers-that-be don't take kindly to defiances of their will (No matter how short-lived)."

"Well, those powers are gone now, at least I think. The humans' opinion won't change, and there might be a needless slaughter anyway, but you're saying you can do it."

"It takes an extreme amount of will and energy. It's a metaphorical switch that's always been there, and I have the personal fear I won't change back. However, yes. It's a desperate option for a desperate time."

"That desperate time might be soon. If you really are worried, why don't you talk to him? I won't bug you."

Dechala was starting to get annoyed. Talking over the radio was difficult for her. Speaking, especially arguing, to someone without seeing them threw her off. That being said, it wasn't why she was annoyed.

She said into the microphone, "What do you mean you guys are tired? You can't go without a single day of sleep?"

The radio crackled, "Some of us have been awake for longer than that. Ma'am, I know he's important and all, but can it wait until tomorrow morning? We don't have a driver here who isn't nodding off."

She clenched the handset. He was so close. One of the trucks was practically looking at him right now. She could force them to continue, but that wouldn't be good leadership, would it? She had to think of her crew. After some hesitation, she said, "Fine. Everyone sleeps now. However, our time is limited. You move out the moment, and I mean the moment, you see the sun. Got me?"

"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am."

I should emphasize that I tried to sleep. There were two queen beds, but the two mamano thought we should sleep together. I didn't object, especially when the power went out about half an hour after we broke in. I certainly wasn't worried about getting cold. That being said, I shut my eyes, but sleep never came. If I had to guess, I think I was too distracted. My mind just couldn't calm down. Eventually, I gave up and carefully got out of bed and sat on the floor, staring out the window. With the complete darkness of the power outage, my night vision was very good, and I could see the stars.

I heard the rustling of scales on cloth, and claws on carpet walking toward me. Autriel sat on the floor next to me and stared out the window, not speaking a word for a long time. She reminded me of the first night I was with her, back in the tower, back in Wyoming. The moonlight reflected off her amber eyes and her hair took on a lighter shade of lavender. Her expression and posture were completely different, or it may have been me who was different. I no longer felt any intimidation or pressure from her presence. It was a calm, intimate, quiet, and thoughtful camaraderie. Like last time, she said nothing, probably feeling that silence said more than any monologue she could come up with. I felt nothing but comfortable around her, combined with a feeling of literal and metaphorical warmth. We just sat and gazed at the stars.

I eventually broke silence. "Couldn't sleep either?"

She glanced toward me. "Evidently. I also wanted a moment to talk to you. You seemed on edge in the car, so I figured I'd bide my time."

"Well, I'm as calm as I've ever been for a while right now. What's up?"

"To be honest, I don't know what I haven't already told you. I'd like to think there's more to me than whatever angst gets yelled out in the middle of a single fight."

"Of course there is. Just because you can't think of more, doesn't mean that's all to you. Hell, most people can't do it. I think you're a very complex person, you just don't know how to show people that."

"Thank you. It means a lot. While we're on the subject, I wanted to apologize about what happened earlier. I'm… It's embarrassing that the hellhound is less emotional than me, the dragon. I mean, I'm supposed to be the 'highest of the reptiles' and one of the strongest of all mamano. It's a lot of responsibility, yet I'm the one who has all of the emotional fits."

"Apology accepted. That being said, I don't think you're less emotional than Gusoyn. She's just more of a people person and has more experience being around them. You're not a natural leader, but she is. There's nothing shameful about that; most people aren't. As for the fits, I don't blame you. We're all going through a lot right now. I'm not saying picking fights with me and destroying houses is a good way of coping, but I think you needed it."

"I see. Also speaking of her. I noticed that you gave Gusoyn that ring." I looked over toward the bed and saw Gusoyn's hand sticking out from under the sheet. The piece of citrine sparkled a little in the moonlight. Autriel continued, "I would also like… something intimately symbolic as well."

I said, "Keep in mind that thing is just temporary. It's just a pipe fastener with some foam and a piece of quartz glued to it. Once I get back on my feet, I'll find something we can both be proud of. What'd you have in mind?"

"Of course. Rings are most popular among humans, as I've observed. However, I'm not as picky. In fact, I'd prefer to not limit myself to just jewelry (though, do not let that discourage you). I feel that something of that nature should be worth more than simply the coin it took to purchase it. To me, it feels cheap, like some kind of investment. If I were to give something, I feel it should be something well-thought and creative. It would be something that would mean something to the couple, and the couple alone, shiny or not"

"Wow. I completely agree with you. I don't have anything right now, but I'm glad you told me. I'll start thinking about it right away. Now I don't feel so bad about not giving you anything yet."

"Oh, but you have."

"What?"

"In a few months, you'll find out."

"Explain."

"I'm egging, Richard."

"At the risk of great insult, do you mean like a bird?"

"No, we only egg if we are pregnant."

"I… Oh. Gotcha. Congrats. That took a turn."

"Yes it did. I'm very happy. Gusoyn is, too."

"Is happy or is pregnant?"

"Both."

"Oh, fuck."

"Are you well? Are you happy?"

"Yeah, I'm great, ecstatic; just… stunned. That was a happy 'oh fuck'. I've just never been a father before. I don't know if I'm ready, but I guess I don't have a choice now. It… is mine, right?"

She placed a hand on my shoulder and chuckled. "Of course it is, fool. I think you will be just fine. While mamano are very fertile, we are also very good at choosing the best people to be with. I think you're a good man. Besides, you've got some time to prepare."

"So, what's all of this entail?"

"Well, not much. There'll be an egg after a few months, then a few more before it hatches. In total, about nine months, same as you humans I believe. I'll probably get cravings soon. That being said, I've got a good feeling about this. This is a tougher situation than we've seen before, but we'll pull through. Worrying never helped anyone."

"Yeah, I get that. It's just different. I…"

"Before you continue, I want to make it clear that you shouldn't coddle me or go on some rant about protecting me. I certainly don't need it, and would take great personal insult if you did."

"Okay, fine. No change, then."

"Beautiful. That being said…"

She scooted up to me, and laid her head on my shoulder. I could feel one of her horns in my hair and her wing draped across my back. She smelled a little like ash. I figured I shouldn't just sit there. I should probably do something. I did the first thing that came to mind, raised my arm behind her head, and began massaging the back of it.

Her head nodded and her eyes flickered open and shut. She continued, "...I don't mind this." Eventually, she laid down and closed her eyes for good. I did the same, but sleep didn't come for a long time.

I was suddenly awoken by a massive blast rattling everything in the room, including me. All of us jumped up and I rushed for the rifle. A few seconds later, I heard a dull explosion that shook everything again. What the fuck were they shelling? Also, why was I having trouble focusing my thoughts on things?

Gusoyn was the first to talk. "What was that? Sounds like giants!"

I replied, "No, it's a cannon."

Autriel said, "I had heard, but never thought they could shake the earth itself." She put two fingers on her forehead and winced.

I noticed and said, "Are you okay?"

She replied, "I have a little bit of a headache. Before you start acting like my father, no, I've drunk plenty of water."

I said, "I gotcha. I've got something wrong, too."

Gusoyn didn't appear to be suffering, but was carefully eyeing both of us, especially Autriel. The dragon said, "I'll be fine. We should move." I agreed.

The sun had been visible for about half an hour. I noticed the truck that had been there last night was gone as we piled into the car. I turned the key and nothing happened.

This did not need to happen right now. The fuel light had been on, but I shouldn't be out of gas. The starter motor worked fine. I threw open the door and looked around the car. Reflected sunlight caught my eye from behind the car. I ran over and found a puddle of rainbow-colored fluid under it. I crouched down and immediately felt rage. Someone had intentionally punctured our fuel tank during the night, letting it all drain out. It was that fucking truck; it had to be. The headache and fury worked together and started making theories.

It was too technical for the mamano. They'd have to know how a car worked in the first place, let alone know where the tank was. What about the humans? It could've been the group that chased us before. If that was true, it was made worse that I didn't know why this particular group wanted me dead, or at least greatly inconvenienced. I informed the others about this.

Autriel reacted first with a panicked look on her face. She began massaging her head and saying, "Oh, no. Oh, no no no no. Not good." Gusoyn put her hand on Autriel's shoulder and said, "Hey. Calm down. What's the worry?"

The dragon said, "I may have been a little inaccurate in my time estimations. Humans towns all look the same, and I may have mistaken one for the other. It isn't…"

Gusoyn interrupted her. "How long, now?"

"I don't… Hours. We have hours. Maybe eight, maybe two. I don't… know. I don't know, okay? The all-wise and powerful dragon doesn't know!"

I turned to her with a serious expression on my face and barked, "Hey! We can't do that now! All I know right now is that we can't stay here. Let's head further into town. Maybe something there will help us out of this pinch."

Autriel was incredulous. "You want to move toward the wall of guns and death? Are you mad?" She desperately looked at Gusoyn.

Unfortunately, the hellhound's face was grim. She said, "I can't think of a better idea. We'll use their weapons as cover for us. Judging by the sound of that cannon, we're already in their range anyway.

Autriel's face was of someone who wanted to argue, but couldn't find any way to disagree. I gave her an understanding look and said, "Come on, let's go. We're going to have to do it on foot."

As I walked outside, I noticed that looking west made me uncomfortable. The longer I looked that way, the worse the symptoms got. There was this odd compulsion to head that way, followed by erasing my train of thought. As we walked, I ended up playing a small game with myself. I would think of something, look west, then immediately forget about it. Thinking was tiring. I looked over to Autriel and noticed her eyes had glassed over. She was breathing more heavily, too. Gusoyn seemed fine, but also looked more on guard.

We heard it when we stepped into a supermarket parking lot. It was this cry that carried over the morning landscape and it came from no animal I had ever heard of. It was answered by a few others from varying distances and directions. Immediately after, the effects on me increased. Something, whatever it was, had found what I was looking for. Immediately after, all of us started sprinting to the storefront. Gusoyn didn't wait for the automatic doors to open. She just blasted through the glass with her shoulder without breaking stride.

Dechala listened intently on the radio, taking in the report of the man she'd ordered to disable their car. She lied on top of her semi-truck, looking through a pair of binoculars at the three of them running around the corner of a building. She chuckled to herself, "What are you going to do now, little human?"

Since she didn't have the mental training or discipline of Autriel or the obliviousness of myself, the effects on her were more intense. Compulsions became obsessions with deafening rants in her head. The weirdest part was that they were in her own voice. Thoughts erased became thoughts replaced. Subconscious fantasies were dug from whatever dark pit in the back of her mind and placed in the forefront. It felt like dozens of ants were crawling around inside her skull. She occasionally itched at scratches that weren't there, and forced both of her hands to stay on the binoculars, because only one hadn't been enough to keep them steady as the other had been trying to get inside her crotch the past few hours. All of this combined with not a wink of sleep made a very impulsive hellhound, indeed. She was near the edge of the horde and her sanity. The worst part was that she was fully aware of this, but couldn't do anything about it.

She only had two trucks on her: The tanker and a container. The others were on their way, but had run into complications. She had somewhat of an idea of the range and deadliness of the humans' fortifications. One of them had fired something that shook the ground once, exploded a hole in the side of the road, and then shook the earth again.

She moved the trucks up a little to get a better view of the building they were in. Nothing came in or out of it. After about an hour, she realized that the horde was finally here. It was a subtle thing, at first. They were attempting to remain hidden, but she could sense their presences, and they seemed numberless. They were in the houses and buildings. There was an uncountable amount in the forest to the north of her. There were so many scents, it was impossible to distinguish one from the rest. They all had one goal in mind, but from listening to the collective psyche, Dechala realized they didn't know exactly where he was. She was the only one who knew.

She immediately coveted this information inside her head and started chuckling to herself. She knew, but they didn't. She was special. If it wasn't for that stupid human fort, she'd rush the place with her crew and the enslaved humans. Then, she'd fuck them all one at a time, and then all at once, just for spite.

Suddenly, she saw a mamano burst from the bushes and stand in the middle of the road. The demon put on a face of concentration, and a red bead steadily grew in size between her hands. She gestured as if she was flinging a rock and the ball streaked down the road. It impacted with the sandbags and burst into a ball of flame. Immediately afterward, there was an impossibly fast white-yellow streak that returned to her and her arm disappeared in a pink mist. The demon screamed and threw herself off the road. There were a few more that followed her back into the bushes, but they looked like they missed.

Dechala suddenly felt very exposed and jumped off of the top of the truck. What kind of spell was that? Was that one of the gun things the humans were talking about? How would she fight one of those? She looked up and saw a particularly brave winged mamano burst up from the bushes and attempt to rush the line. There was a single red streak that missed, but it was followed by a burst of more yellow ones. The mamano returned to the ground far less gracefully than it left it.

It seemed death was a thing now. That didn't stop the horde from slowly advancing through cover. Occasionally, one of the cannons would open fire. It sent out reverberations in the ground and a burst of panic in the psyche where the shell impacted. It seemed the humans had no problem destroying their own homes.

I may not have been as magically sensitive as Dechala at the time, but I could feel them, too. It was like a constant presence with a sultry voice. It wanted me to get up and drop all my belongings. It urged me to just walk away. It implored me to give it all up. We couldn't stay in the supermarket, so we moved out of a service door to the next building, a bank. The moment we went outside, I felt an immediate feeling of being spotted. I had the panicked urge to just shoot into the places that looked like they held something. I probably would have if I was by myself and had more bullets. There were eyes everywhere. Autriel had gone from befuddled to outright muttering to herself and blinking rapidly. She was breathing so heavily I could hear her. Gusoyn also seemed winded, but also had a look of concern for both of us.

This repeated a few times. We would stay in a building and try to think of something. Eventually, the horde's presence would get too intense to think, and we'd move to the next building closer to the front line. We heard sounds of gunfire become steadily more frequent. Eventually, we holed up in a small pizza restaurant.

Dechala was at her wit's end. She had to bust the line and/or make some kind of distraction. Then, she got an idea and called up one of her lackeys. He picked up and sounded like he was speaking inside a crate.

"Hey captain. How's it going?"

"Can't decide. Hey, do we need this tanker for our other trucks?"

"Well, that's actually something I've been meaning to talk to you about. Turns out, it's n- *thump thump* Fuck off! Sorry ma'am, that wasn't for you. Anyway, it's not diesel in there like we first thought. It's just regu-"

"I don't care what's in it. Do we need it?"

"Well, that's my point. *thump thump thump* We can't use the fuel in there, so it's basically useless."

"I'll tell the driver to get out. We're going to use it as a ram."

"Wait a second, do you know what's in there? It'll fucking kill eve-"

"No, no, no, no! I don't give a damn! I'm not staying in this stalemate! You tell that driver to get it ready to ram and then get out or I'll tie him to the front with a gourd up his ass!"

"Love to, but I'm currently stuck in this crate with one of your crew trying to get in so she can violate me to hell and back."

"Boo hoo! I bet you enjoy it anyway!"

"That's the part that scares me ma'am. I'll call him, but he might not have his ringer on."

Dechala leapt out of the cab and sprinted across the road as fast as her legs could carry her. The driver already had a cinder block in his hands and a terrified look on his face. She stared right at him.

"Well? Start it up."

"I… Cap'n, where are you driving this thing?"

"Down the road and toward the barricade. Do you have a problem with that?"

The man had a look of horror, like he had been convincing himself there'd been some miscommunication, but the orders were just as bad as he imagined. Several more emotions went across his face, until it settled on determination. He dropped the block onto the seat, raised his fists, and said, "Yeah I do, you piece of shit."

He swung with a right hook, but Dechala dodged, grabbed him by the shirt with her claws, and flung him into the bushes. He yelled in rage the entire time, but something took him in the bushes and shut him up. Dechala yelled into the bush, "His keys!"

There was a pause, then the keychain flew out of the flora into her hand. She started up the truck, put it into gear like she'd seen, and depressed the gas pedal to the floor. The truck advanced and she kept shifting the gears. It accelerated and she pointed it toward the barricade in the road. She shifted one last time, slammed the concrete block onto the pedal, then jumped out of the driver's door. She rolled on the grass and looked toward her handiwork.

The truck got about thirty yards away from the barricade when one of the guns went off. She could see the flash and the bushes shake as the shell tore through the air. She didn't even see it as it impacted with the cab, then exploded into a fireball. A second and enormous inferno suddenly engulfed the truck and everything within fifty feet. The combination of flames and smoke rose taller than anything around. Dechala herself was flung off her feet and landed in a ditch. A wave of heat came off of it. She was immune to that, but all the oxygen in the air disappeared briefly and her eyes dried out instantly. Parts of nearby buildings collapsed or burst into flames. It was like a brief, miniature sun had been created in the middle of the road. The explosion was deafening, leaving a ringing in her ears, but she could barely hear the bellows coming toward the humans' end. The back end of the truck flew back down the road, skidded a little bit, then stopped and continued burning.

The ball of fire and smoke turned to a pillar. The road itself was blackened and nearby bushes, trees, and grasses were in flames. Despite her tinnitus, Dechala then heard another collective howl, this time coming from behind her. The mamano were using the explosion and cover of smoke as a rallying cry and charged the line. Dechala just laid down in the ditch and contemplated how everything hurt and she didn't feel like moving right now. The humans raised a cry in kind, and then the shooting really started. She could see the colorful displays of mamano magic bombarding the barricade. They may have had magic and speed, but it was still a massacre.

She didn't want to move. Her brain just shut down and she listened to the carnage going on from outside her ditch. She'd occasionally see a mamano run past, a spell fly by, or one of the human's weapon's shoot the other direction. It all just blurred together.

She saw a minotaur charge past her, then suddenly recoil as if someone had punched her in the shoulder. Her arm was suddenly covered in blood. She turned and looked at Dechala like it was the most confusing thing she'd ever seen. A second later, two more invisible blows struck the minotaur in the chest. Dechala could hear some kind of whizzing, like angry bees, beforehand. The mamano staggered, then fell over into the ditch, her axe falling from her hands.

It was, undoubtedly, the worst thing Dechala had experienced in her entire life. The situation really dawned on her then. They'd always run around without the fear of death. Where were the gods or demon lords they worshipped? Weren't they supposed to come down and stop them from dying? She'd seen blood before, and wasn't squeamish about that, but in her mind, she was telling the mamano to get up. She couldn't be dead. They'd always been cared for by their demon lord and monsterized gods. Mamano were their precious children, weren't they? So, where were they now? What happened to make them stop caring? What did they do? She was waiting for them to swoop down from on high to save them, as they always had, but none ever came.

Dechala was so distraught, she threw up in the ditch. She tried desperately to get out of it, but only could manage a crawl. She had the sudden realization that this shooting gallery was initiated by her. She tried to convince herself that they would have rushed in anyway, but failed miserably. It was all going horribly wrong. This was not as planned, but then again, there really wasn't one in the first place. They never needed to plan. Stuff just worked in the past. They never died. Now what?

She could smell the air growing increasingly like iron. She'd never experienced it in this amount and it was awful. She never smelled death on this scale. She tried to hold her breath, but eventually gave up. It permeated up her nose and she could feel it filling up her lungs and nasal cavity. Of course, she was also sensitive to the mamano collective psyche, so that combined with what was going on added another sensory overload pancake to the stack. Eventually, her brain decided that was enough, and shut down for a while. Dechala laid down in the grass and passed out.

Meanwhile, I wasn't doing much better. Shit was happening, and it wasn't at all good. We'd been slowly pushed further toward the wall and constantly in a crouching position. I wasn't completely taken by panic yet, but I was breaking. We had just hunkered down in a small office building near a pizza restaurant when Gusoyn suggested getting closer to the line. She believed the horde might back off or attack in another place, forcing the humans to reinforce. Then, maybe we could sneak through. I dismissively said it was a great plan.

She noticed my disturbed posture and said, "Hey. Calm down."

I replied, steadily getting more agitated, "Calm? Fucking calm? I'm stuck in the no-man's land between a wall of guns and hundreds of rows of teeth! I could stick my head out and tell you the eye colors of the men on those machine guns, or look the other direction and see how many semen demons are inside that Pizza Hut! I think I've got the right to a little panic attack!"

She forcefully put her hand on my chest and said, "No. No, you don't. We're going to do the best we can, but you're the only one who knows what we're up against. Autriel's working on a defensive barrier with magic right now, and hopefully it'll be able to protect us if anything goes wrong."

My heart didn't stop pounding and my adrenaline was still pumping, but I calmed down a little. "Right. Fine. Let's let cooler heads prevail."

Unfortunately, things were only heating up, as that was the moment Dechala decided to pull her stunt. I heard the roar of the diesel engine and looked up just in time to see the high-explosive shell impact the cab. The entire thing erupted like a miniature volcano, blew all every window in the building, and threw all of us backwards. I slammed into a filing cabinet. I can also confirm that the cartoons are true, because I saw stars. Smoke filled in the street and blew in the windows.

After that I heard a collective howl come from every direction, and then I witnessed what Dechala did earlier. Autriel was desperately trying to focus on casting, but Gusoyn saw the entire thing along with myself. Neither of us could turn ourselves away. It was like watching a train wreck in action, but it must've been far worse for her. She stood up, saw what was happening in the street, and her face changed to a progressively worse look of dismay. She slumped over onto the reception desk and buried her face in her hands. Turns out, I wasn't the one closest to breaking. I did the only thing I knew to do at the moment and stood up again.

A brown and fuzzy mamano sprinted across the street from us, but turned her head toward our building and immediately locked eyes with me. I instinctively took on a defensive stance and told everyone to get ready. Gusoyn did so, but Autriel continued furiously casting. The mamano did a ninety degree turn mid-stride and practically leapt across the road toward us.

In that moment, one of the gunners on the wall must've seen her and opened fire. The soldier was fairly accurate, and followed his fire on her path. A few bullets hit her, then she slammed into the door. Unfortunately, the gunner didn't stop and decided to strafe the building. I saw in the corner of my eye a few small and blue bursts of sparks, as if a magical barrier attempted to stop something entering it. The incomplete barrier only served to slow them down somewhat. I suddenly felt a great force impact me under the ribs, and I was spun around. I laid on the carpet and wondered why my side felt wet.

Holy shit, I'd been shot. I'm actually proud that my first thoughts were worried that the other two were okay. All of my senses were muffed, but I could hear somebody yelling. I saw two green and black shapes above me. The black one was screaming to the other, asking if she knew medicine. The green one gave an unenthusiastic nod. Suddenly, the shock was over, and reality returned with a vengeance. I immediately tensed up as pain hit me like a wave.

I spoke as best I could, and the first thing my brain decided to say was, "I feel awful."

I felt a fuzzy hand on my cheek and could hear Gusoyn telling me it was going to be okay.

I said, "No. Stop blood. Use pants." I explained as best I could on how to staunch the bleeding, trying desperately to recall the first aid class from training. Suddenly, I was pinned by Autriel and she shoved an armored scale hand in my mouth. I was briefly incredulous, but then felt a pair of (admittedly delicate and steady) claws fishing around in my wound. I squirmed and bit down on the finger. My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my skull, or my intestines were going to spill out of my side. Suddenly, it was over, and I saw a black claw holding a blood-covered bullet. Fucking thanks, I guess.

Everything after was a blur. They kept me awake, but I believe I experienced what those experienced in therapy call "Disassociation". Time just didn't happen. I heard chaos and saw some movement outside, but eventually the noise and quaking gradually became more distant. Whether it was because I was getting more out of it or the fighting moved farther away, I didn't know. What I can say is that the two of them stuck by me the entire time, barely moving a muscle for a while. My eyes mist up every time I think of this moment. People always refer to me as some kind of hero. Maybe I did some things that deserve the title, but they were the first. Their dedication and care in some random office building while two species murdered each other outside showed me how.

It had all gone so very wrong. I'm not saying this was the worst possible scenario, but it certainly wasn't in the top ten. Both sides were capable of talking, of listening, and of reasoning, but they didn't. Nobody did, and this is what we got. One side just ran with depressingly outdated tactics and assumed they would work, while the other unintentionally caused massacres out of panic. It was at that point where I just cried and shook with Autriel's finger still in my mouth. They were tears of frustration and rage after being caught in events that had wildly spun out of control, and that I had no control over in the first place. I could do nothing, but lie on the floor, suffer, and watch two people close to me do the same. Eventually, they lied down next to me. By a stroke of luck, we managed to find some ibuprofen pills in the secretary's office drawers, but it was like removing a cup of water from a bucket.

In another example of heroism played out just outside. Dechala awoke to someone shaking her. Everything was quieter, but she could hear noises in the distance. She didn't care enough to do anything but grunt. She smelled the distinct scent of oil and decided to flip over. She was greeted by the sight of a man in a man in a flannel jacket. The halo of the sun showed off only his silhouette, like some kind of angelic entity. However, she recognized him as her mate. She hadn't expected him to come. She was sure he would have stayed away until everything cleared out. Why was he here? Why was anyone coming to rescue her? Did she even know if she needed rescuing in the first place? What had she done for him to deserve this? He outstretched his hand and said, "Finally found you! I was so worried. Are you hurt?"

She was at a loss for words. She could only shift expressions, and could barely move her body. She wasn't physically hurt, but her body just didn't want to move. The man grabbed her, hoisted her up into a fireman's carry, and said, "It's all gone to hell. Let's head home." He began a steady walk down the road. The emotional dam broke and Dechala bawled her eyes out like a drunkard.

My memory of the next period of time is incomplete at best. The human line never broke, as far as I'm aware, but they were overrun in a few places. In short, it became more porous. The mamano horde retreated and dispersed mostly. What remained of it lurked in forests, licked it's wounds, and attempted to replenish it's manpower. The day was dark for mamano, but they learned a valuable lesson after it, one of the importance of leadership. They all clamored for a position of power, command, and hierarchy. Inevitably, a competent one would fill that position, and then it would become a force to reckon with, indeed.

For now, I understand that this chapter may have been darker than most. Maybe it was. I only tell the story as it happened, and sometimes things just don't go as planned. Sometimes epiphanies are found the hard way. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better. Sometimes everyone fucks up. Pain is an excellent teacher. After sitting back and looking at the events here, I think this was the mamano growing up. They weren't being coddled anymore, albeit it was a very "sink or swim" kind of situation. Now, failure wasn't just possible, it was painful. Make no mistake, I take no enjoyment in recalling the events of this day. In fact, I feel an enormous amount of sympathy for them. It wasn't fair in the slightest. I didn't want this to happen to them, and if I could've done anything to stop it, I would've. That being said, this was a necessary pain that they (and I hope, the reader) realized they had to come to terms with.

But hey, chin up. Story isn't over yet. I've still got a family to raise.


	10. The Proposal

For the first time, I didn't dream. I don't have good or bad dreams, only weird ones. Even then, I usually don't remember what they were, except that I had one. This time, there was nothing. The two of them kept me warm and awake as long as possible, but at some point we all fell asleep. I suddenly felt as if I was teleported from the shag carpet to the inside of a sleeping bag.

Later, I learned the two of them had fashioned a makeshift stretcher and carried me behind a supermarket. Bonus points for Autriel, since nobody had cleaned up the "mess" left by yesterday's events. Poor girl had a weak stomach and had to stop and retch a few times.

The sleeping bag I was in lied under a lean-to made from sheet metal, rebar, and a door that read "employees only". I noticed a brick wall next to me with an empty doorway, showing where they'd found the door. The power was still out. They'd also set up a campfire that burned cardboard, scrap wood, and other debris. Two cinderblocks were next to the fire and supported some metal grating, making a grill. A can of ravioli that looked like it had been opened with a dull hacksaw sat on top. The sun peeked over the horizon and dimly illuminated this oddly comforting scene. Autriel and Gusoyn were sitting nearby, looking at each other. They looked like they were waiting, but their posture was obvious. Sleep had removed the shock of the past events, but now trauma and anger were replacing it. Nobody was anywhere close to happy. I seemed to have caught them at the beginning of a conversation.

Gusoyn began."So, where was that dragon you talked about?"

Autriel asked, "What do you mean?"

The hellhound wasn't having it. "Don't play coy. I asked where the dragon was; the real one. You said you could do it, but I saw nothing. I think it would've been a lot of help back there."

"First of all, it is no more the 'real' dragon than I am. We're all equally real. Dragons just happen to have the ability to change states."

"I'm not going to argue with you. Not everyone can shift between the past and present. Where was the supposed 'stuff of legend'?"

"It just… didn't happen."

"I'd spend a little more time thinking on my answers if I were you, because I have no idea how you thought that was something even worth the breath it took to say."

"That's all there is to say! I know I said the option was there, but I was wrong. I couldn't do it."

"Couldn't or didn't? If you have something, you use it! If you can't, then it's useless. The fact that you told me it was in your very blood and you backed down from it makes me just even madder! He could have died! We all could have died! Everyone else might've not died!"

"Back off! I was scared, okay? I've never done it before! Nobody I know personally has! It's just not something we do often; only the kind of thing that your great-grandmother did once and you're pretty confident she was lying! I don't know anything about it and it scares me! I've always just known how to from the moment I was born, but I'm terrified if I do, I won't know how to turn back! I don't even know if I'll be able to control myself! Forgot not dying, I don't know if I'll kill you all myself!"

"Oh, I understand. Really, I do. However, that doesn't much matter when we're all gone regardless! Things may just get even worse from now on and we're all going to need to know our limits. Right now, it looks an awful lot like you're limiting yourself. I'm doing everything I can to keep us alive and together, and it's pretty insulting if someone else isn't doing the same. It certainly raises questions of devotion."

"Oh, you want a test of devotion? Do you also want another taste of what happened last time? Maybe this time I'll give you something more permanent to remember me by."

"Try me, you wannabe aristocratic lizard. All of that 'noble' blood and where does it get you when you don't use it? It'll be a lot different now that I've got something to fight for and a lesson to teach**."**

I had to stop this, but moving was a bad idea. Instead, I just said in a shaky voice, "Good morning."

They both glanced at each other and silently said, "Later." Gusoyn looked at me and said, "Hey sleepyhead." Autriel crawled over and put her hand over my head. It reminded me of a mother who was checking to make sure her child didn't have a fever.

Gusoyn said, "I thought I'd show off my survival skills a little bit. The roof over your head's mine. I… found a container of this stuff here." She fearlessly grabbed a can of steaming hot ravioli like it was nothing. "It was a pain to open, and the stuff inside was… passable. Still, I'm sure it tastes better warm. I mean, they went through all the trouble of locking it away; it has to be good." Oh, to be ignorant of the idea of modern food preservation. After I got up into a sitting position and ate some with a plastic fork. I concluded that it was the greatest can of ravioli I've ever had. Ever since then, Gusoyn has always cooked pasta.

Autriel continued, "Despite being able to cook my food whenever I want, the fire is of my design. This brown paper-like substance burns well, as do these boards." I crossed my fingers they weren't pressure-treated.

She grabbed a white boombox. The antenna was bent and it had claw marks on it as if a cat decided to use it as a scratching post. "I also… found this interesting music box. It took some fiddling and a few electric shocks, but I managed to figure it out. You humans' gadgets are so complicated, you should attach books to all of them, because I don't know how anyone remembers all this." I thought to myself, "Oh, you have no idea."

However, I was proud to see her very precisely turn the tuner knob, realize she needed to switch it on first, then find a music radio station. She confidently stated, "I hoped it would help improve the mood."

I laid there for a bit and listened to the soft music playing over the speakers and the morning noises of nature. "That it has. That it certainly has. We'll make humans of you both yet."

They sat down practically bathing in pride. I continued, "Didn't think about it, but I'm really proud of you guys for adapting so quickly, especially when things must be so different."

Gusoyn commented, "Yeah, things have really changed. Old stuff just doesn't…" Her eyes glassed over and she leaned backward. "...just doesn't work anymore." I tried to salvage as best as possible. "So Autriel, do you want to teach me some more on magic? I'm really interested." She didn't even turn my way and said, "You've lost quite a bit of energy and it's unstable. That, and I'm not feeling up to it right now."

This wasn't going well. It hadn't been going well at all recently. In fact, the past day had been pretty shitty. Now that I was bedridden and my mind wasn't having it's focus forced, I realized the past while had been a rollercoaster. Walked off my job, invaded by mythical creatures (sort of), befriended one via broken knee, grand theft auto, road trip, mauled by and then befriended another, more road trip, got laid, fought first mamano again, got laid another time, driven to near insanity, became a father twice, and then shot. I guess that was a fairly accurate summary.

But, my mind quickly shifted from myself to the others. I don't even want to begin to describe what they'd been through. It wasn't fair. Hell, if the same thing happened to me, I'd be screaming at the sky in rage. They had everything they'd relied upon pulled out from under them, and all they had to console with was some schmuck who wasn't sure if he could walk. Even in my sorry state, I knew I couldn't ignore theirs. Just because I had it worse didn't mean I shouldn't care for them.

"Hey Gusoyn."

She turned her head. "Yeah?"

"Tell me what your home was like."

"I've already told you."

"I want to hear it again."

She sighed and began, "Well, hellhounds often hang around areas with a lot of volcanic activity. We'd found this place in a mountain range just south of a…" Then she stopped and said, "No, I've got it wrong."

"Oh? Are the details fuzzy?"

"No, no. I'm just thinking of the wrong place. Let me start again. My home is in this medium-size human settlement."

I was incredulous. "Human town? They'd let you in?"

She continued, "Well, not really. They attacked me when I first arrived. My home is behind this brick building on the western side of town. It's been pretty tense around there recently, but I've managed to settle. I've set up a little lean-to there for my mate. He's a lot better than he thinks he is, but the little idiot got himself wounded and now I have to take care of him. I'm not planning on staying there long, and it's not a bad place to squat, but if he's around me, anywhere's fine."

Autriel added, "I may have said and believed that 'home is where the hoard is', but I also believe both of them can be moved and redefined."

I choked, "Dammit guys, I've already lost enough fluids. I don't want to add more to the tears category."

Autriel suddenly stood up and said, "That reminds me." She grabbed a bottle of water. "Drink"

I mockingly retorted, "Yes, mother."

Eventually, it started raining. The lean-to leaked a little, so we were forced inside. They told me to stay still, shoved a piece of board under me, and carried me inside that way. I thought to myself I should get shot more often. I'd be treated like a king. They also packed our stuff, and I was relieved to find they still had my clothes and the gun. Hopefully they also remembered to take the bullets.

It wasn't that dark inside. The skylights let more than enough light inside to see. Eventually, we came across the sporting section. However, Autriel spotted jewelry and decided to lay me down in the middle of the aisle. Unlike many other things in the store, gemstones weren't touched by looters. This shocked me a little. The dragon inspected the glass case, looking for a way to open it. Eventually, she lost patience, shrugged, and smashed through it with her armored fist.

She delicately reached her way inside, began removing each item one at a time, and looked at them with the eye of a professional. She was inspecting a diamond the size of which I could only dream of having when I asked, "So, I guess the stereotype is true?"

She replied, "Others may mock and generalize however they wish. Dragon's expertise and skill speak for themselves to whomever is willing to listen. Otherwise, there's no point in showing art to someone who doesn't appreciate it. Do you?" She puckered her lips and created a small pilot light to better inspect the stone.

I stumbled, "I mean, yeah. Of course. Rocks are pretty cool. I know a little, but I mostly choose them because of looks and I collect a few. Do you like diamonds?"

She suddenly increased the intensity of her flame, forming a sharp and blue point, like a blowtorch. The ring melted in her hand, but the gemstone simply vanished. The molten metal dropped and hissed on the linoleum tile. "Diamonds are certainly respected for their luster and hardness. That being said, if I wanted something clear, I would use glass. Another disappointing thing is that they're anything but permanent. A bit of concentrated heat and poof, they disappear."

That's a few thousand dollars up in a puff of smoke. I asked, "Do you have a favorite?"

She winced, "Mmmmm, that's a corundum… conundrum… hah. I like opal, but sapphire is also good. Then there's emerald, but I'm not sure if it's just there because green's my color. Actually, no. If I was wearing it, you wouldn't be able to distinguish it over my scales. How about Amethyst? It's a bit darker than my hair. Wonder if they have any in here…"

She continued rambling on while stuck up to her shoulders inside the case. I felt like I was more than a bit underequipped to keep up to conversation. That being said, she seemed very happy to carry it herself, and continued to teach me all about precious and semi-precious stones. Occasionally, the lecture would be interrupted by her saying something like, "Someone should throw the artisan who made this off a cliff. Seriously, who looked at this piece of garbage and thought 'That's a fine piece of craftsmanship'?"

I commented, "What? We're in a Walmart. Of course the jewelry isn't going to be great. Is it some kind of sin to screw it up?"

At this point, she was down to her ass inside the case. Her legs had left the floor and she was awkwardly crawling her way across. Her head suddenly jerked up, shattering the glass. Unfazed by this, she looked at me and said, "Of a high caliber. I'm not saying punishable by death, but at least ten lashings."

"Fair enough. Hey, I have a question."

She continued with her inspection and asked, "What?"

"Can't you heal me with magic or something?"

Autriel stopped and said, "I… no, not really. Like I said before, I'm more adept at divination. Magic involving transforming or repairing the body really shouldn't be used by people who are not skilled at it. Failure in that school can have really unpleasant results. I'm as sorrowful as I can be, and I would instantly perform it if I could. Believe me, this does frustrate me to no end, though I'm sure it's far worse for you."

"Gotcha."

Gusoyn and I settled for a while as Autriel enjoyed herself. Eventually, I got up and said, "Any of these strike your fancy?"

She responded, "Like I said, it's difficult to say."

I found a necklace that caught my eye. It was covered in stones that each ranged from pink, to white, and then to green. Later, I found they were watermelon tourmaline. I said, "Fuck it. There's no power and cameras are off. I think this one suits you."

Autriel put her hand on her chest, batted her eyelashes and said, "For me?!" in an obviously over-acted way. "So, why this one?"

I said, "Well, you were talking a little about colors and this one's got all your colors on it. It's got the purple, the green, and… well I don't know where the clear bit is."

She replied, "That's very thoughtful of you. I agree. I feel it's a little too loose, though. It needs a bit of work."

I asked, "Can you work on it here?"

She looked almost insulted. "Of course. All I need are my hands and some fire."

The dragon created another blue pilot light and got to work. Her face was of intense concentration as she removed parts of the necklace's chain and used her claws to weld it back together and pick off extraneous bits. Lastly, she took a few drops from the water bottle to cool down the spot. She sat back, admired her work, then put it on.

For a few seconds, she sat on the case, swung her legs, and hummed a tune to herself with her eyes closed. Suddenly they opened and she asked me, "Do they keep foodstuffs in here?"

I incredulously said, "Yeah, why?" I pointed, "It's over there."

She leapt off the case and sped off in that direction. I asked Gusoyn what was going on. She had no idea and suggested maybe Autriel was just hungry. We heard scrounging noises, and then the dragon returned some time later. Her mouth and chin were white and she held an open carton of eggs. As she walked back to us, she grabbed eggs, cracked them open, let the yolk land on the floor, then ate the shells.

I did what any sane person would and asked, "Autriel, what the hell?"

She crunched on an eggshell and replied, "Cravings. I needed that stuff… whatever's in eggshells and milk."

"Calcium? Cravings? Isn't it just day two? Also, don't you react poorly to dairy anyway?"

"The answers to your questions, in order, are: Maybe, yes, yes, and yes. The only alternative I'm aware of is to eat chalk from stone formations, but I haven't seen any rocks in a long time. Therefore, these are my choices. I will probably be regretting them soon."

I groaned. "Wonderful."

Just then, we heard a banging noise coming from the front. It sounded like someone had walked into the front doors. Later, I learned that was true. Then, we heard the sound of the automatic doors manually being opened. Autriel quickly dropped the carton and rushed behind a corner. Gusoyn crouched behind a checkout isle and peered over.

We heard a male voice call out, "Hello? Anyone here? I don't want no trouble. I just uhhhhhh… got a message. My gun's in my pocket and I ain't gonna use it. There somebody here named Gusin?"

Gusoyn called out, "Walk out to where we can see you."

The man did so. Although I couldn't see him, I'll describe him anyway. He was a man that looked in his early thirties. He also had the appearance of a stereotypical trucker, sporting a red flannel shirt, green t-shirt, jeans, brown boots, and a little bit of a beer belly. On his head was a red ballcap that he removed as he walked in the building. Autriel said quietly that she could feel no open hostility from his aura. Gusoyn felt that was enough for her, and instructed the man to walk toward us. He did so.

The man tentatively approached us, noticing the mamano first and then me in the sleeping bag. He nervously said, "Mornin' folks. My name's Oscar Mackay. I'm assumin' the black and fuzzy one is miss…" He then noticed the ring. "(Oh, missus. I apologize.) missus Gusin? My wife's just like you. The green one I haven't met before; pleasure. And it's also good to meet you too, sir."

Autriel said nothing. I replied, "Good to see another human around. I'd get up and shake hands, but this wound of mine's forced me down." He replied, "Oh, I understand. That's actually why I'm here."

Gusoyn chimed in, "Go on."

He continued, "Well, my wife's been looking for you and your (I'm going to assume husband) for a while now. She mentioned something about a pack and that you were the leader, but now she's leader. Something of that nature. Does the name Dechala ring any bells?"

A variety of emotions went across Gusoyn's face. She responded, "It does."

"Oh, great. Well, she's been wantin' to talk to you. Trouble is, she was right there when that fight went down inside town. Don't worry, she isn't hurt, but she took a rather nasty shock. She just… doesn't want to get out of bed. I'm not some kind of therapist, but I think she's got PTSD or somethin' like it. Either way, I don't know what kind of terms you two are on, but the way she talked about you, I figured you were friends. I was hopin' her seeing a friend would cheer her up and pull her out of the thing she's in."

I asked, "Are the rest of us invited?"

He said, "Of course. We've actually got a few trucks and a bus' worth of people lookin' to meet you. See, we were all actually followin' you, but Dechala wouldn't tell the rest of us why. In fact, I was gonna call Bobby to bring one of the trucks over and take you to our camp we set up in a church southwest of here. I also wanted to confess that it was actually us who punctured your fuel tank."

The rest of us glowered, but he hung his head and continued. "It wasn't my decision, and a lot of poor ones were made last night. That's why we wanted to take you back to our place, and hopefully go from there. I'm gonna call Bobby now and we'll get you an actual medic to look at that wound you've got." Autriel seemed mildly offended.

The man set his phone to the speaker. He gestured toward it, but I had no idea what message he was trying to convey. After a few rings, the phone answered with some background static. "Hello?"

"Bobby? It's Oscar. Where you at?"

"I'm driving down Kelp avenue looking for that guy we're looking for"

"Dammit Bobby, what the hell are you doing up there? We stopped the search hours ago. Look, I need you to stop by the Walmart to the south of here and pick me and a few others up."

"All right, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"See ya."

He turned and asked the mamano, "So, can we move him?"

Autriel said, "We will move him. Where?"

Oscar replied, "Just outside. Bobby'll be here in a little bit."

I was moved and we sat outside. The rain had cleared up and the sun was still behind the trees. That being said, the air felt different. It wasn't the post-rainshower humidity. The atmosphere was heavier, thicker, and had the slightest hint of sweetness to it. Oscar coughed, but I knew what this was. I started looking around for other signs. The moon, partially hidden by clouds, took on a faint pink hue. Tree bark looked darker than it should be and their leaves took on a slightly bluer hue. Even the lighting itself seemed just a little darker than it should be. It wasn't a full conversion like had been described to me, and it was most likely temporary. However, it was still unnerving and I still hadn't got used to seeing terraformed land.

A few minutes passed, then twenty. Oscar became impatient, then called another number.

"Gabe? This is Oscar. Where's Bobby's truck?"

Again, the phone was set to speaker. "Bobby's been gone for a while, sir."

Oscar was incredulous. "What do you mean? I just called him."

"Did you call the right number? Their truck got hit by a shell last night; blew them all to hell."

"'Course I called the right number. I just had a conversation with him. If that isn't him, then who'd I just call?"

"I dunno, sir. We're sending Sandra with the bus. She'll be there in five." The man then hung up.

A collective chill ran down everyone's spine. Oscar slowly put his phone back in his pocket, squatted on the ground, and covered his mouth with his hands. The mamano adopted more anxious postures and Autriel commented, "This world's ghosts are a lot more unnerving than mine." I replied, "You ever feel like the world broke a little bit recently?"

Sandra arrived on time and we all piled on the bus. Well, I was just carried. The drive was fairly silent, and ended outside of a church. There, we spotted one more semi truck outside. We were all instructed to come inside. The building had a lot of natural light, especially in the sanctuary, and very few lamps were needed. The interior was fairly busy with humans moving about. The large front lobby looked like it had been converted to a cargo depot. There were cardboard boxes of various goods scattered about, some large containers of water, and a crate of weapons in the corner with a guard nearby. The operation seemed very hurried, but also very organized. Stuff was getting done, albeit I had no idea what it was. Oscar turned to me and asked, "Can you walk?"

I replied, "Probably, but I'd rather sit. Do you guys have a wheelchair in here?"

He said, "We could probably find one." and motioned to one of his flunkies to do that.

As the underling was looking, one of the hellhounds approached us. She noticed me first and said, "Hey, it's the human! All of this trouble and you walk right in our front door. Well, looks like you got carried. Why?"

I said, "Got wounded yesterday."

She scoffed, "Well, you're good enough to speak. If you've got any worries, we've got a doctor around here somewhere." She turned to Gusoyn and her expression shifted to neutrality. "Hey boss. Good to have you back. Gonna stay this time?" She didn't give the opportunity for a response and walked off. Gusoyn ears visibly lowered and she hunched over a little. In a rare feat of social awareness, I figured that her spontaneously leaving her group would probably have created some kind of angst between them and her. I also realized that pointing to the tallest hellhound in the group, declaring her to be the new leader, and then telling them all to go be pirates may not have been the best of ideas.

Our group walked (I was wheeled) to a conference room with sunlight coming through the large windows. Everyone took a seat, while Autriel commented on how the chair's design let her tail go through the back. Over the course of a few minutes, four more hellhounds trickled in and sat down. Oscar took the seat across from me, while Gusoyn and Autriel flanked me in their seats.

Oscar began the meeting. "So, I'm sure you know by now that this's been a long time comin' for a lot of us."

I responded, "Yeah, seems everyone wants a piece of us these days."

"Well, not just you. Your hellhound girl over here's the old boss of this group before she just suddenly left. Now, I've got nothin' against you lady. Just want to make that clear right now. However, since you left, my wife's taken up the reins and it's been going… well it's been going pretty bad these past few days. Lord knows we need a break. Can I say that here? It's a church."

He continued, "Point is, she's got a lot of emotions runnin' through her right now, and none of 'em are real good. Ever since that battle yesterday, she doesn't even want to get out of bed, and a lot of what she says and does revolves around you. I've done everything I can, but I think what she needs right now is a longtime friend, assumin' you're still friends." He leaned forward. "After this meeting, I'd really appreciate it if you'd go visit her for a while." Gusoyn remained silent, but nodded.

"Now that's out of the way, let's get to it. All of us've been basically following you guys these past few days. No idea why, but Dechala kept saying it was important and I believed her. So… here we are; Here you are."

There was an awkward silence, then I said, "And….?"

He shrugged. "Well, I was hopin' you guys would know. I mean, we've picked up some radio chatter and social media posts of people looking to stick your head on a pole. Then there's the army of monsters after you, but that could be coincidence. Point is, you're important and now that we've met, I wanna know why."

I stammered, "Well, I really don't know." Autriel chimed in and said, "I believe I could answer that." Oscar said, "I'm all ears."

One bit of exposition later and he responded, "So you're telling me all of this trouble is because he's fuckin' magical?"

Autriel gestured, "Everyone's magical. He just happens to be… several degrees more so."

Oscar was obviously doubtful. "So, can I ask him to go 'hocus pocus' and summon me some fried flounder? I haven't had any in months."

Autriel raised her finger and said optimistically, "We're working on it! Fundamentals first."

He responded, "That was sarcasm, ma'am."

The cheeky dragon retorted, "I know, I just chose to ignore it."

The man groaned, rested his forehead on two of his knuckles, sighed, and then continued, "Right. Look, as far as we could tell, you guys weren't running away from us. Judging by how we've been talking, I don't think you even knew about us. So, if you weren't running from us and you were already moving before that monster army, just where are you guys going?"

Gusoyn and Autriel slowly turned towards me. The other hellhounds remained in their relaxed positions, but their ears turned toward me and twitched in anticipation. I sat in the chair with the posture of a man who didn't really have a clear answer. I said so. "I really don't have a satisfying answer. We're heading east, our goal being Virginia."

He asked, "What's there?"

I said, "I'm not from the midwest or the rockies. My family's in Virginia, and I want to be at least in the state nowadays. And… I think I've found a little bit more stability and I think with that, it's time to head home."

He scoffed, "You think your family's gonna approve of your life choices?"

I replied, "We're still working on that, but what about you? I think you've made the same choice as me."

He snapped back, "My bastard of a daddy didn't even bother lovin' me and mother was too busy filling the emptiness left by him with male hookers to raise me right. I don't give a damn what they think of me and I don't think much higher of humanity either. At least these 'monsters' have a sense of commitment about 'em."

"That's uhhhh… well said."

"Appreciate it. Anyways, so you're headed to Virginia."

"Yes."

"Had a rough time of it?"

I considered the lack of our food, water, transportation, and occasionally, clothing. I answered honestly, "Yes."

He clasped his hands together. "Welp, then I have an official request from my wife, the boss of this crew, Dechala. In exchange for the meeting with Gusoyn I mentioned earlier, we are all willing to take you all in as passengers in our happy little caravan. Your destination is our destination."

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "If I were you, I'd take it. You seem like a bunch in desperate times, and this is a really, almost ridiculously, charitable deal. I wouldn't have made it if I were in Dechala's shoes, but she's much nicer than me."

Intimidation check succeeded. The three of us looked at each other. It really was an offer we shouldn't refuse. The two mamano looked at me for a decision, while the other hellhounds got out of their relaxed postures and sat forward, waiting for an answer. Eventually, I said, "Sure. I still don't know why you're all doing this for us."

Oscar shrugged, "Neither do I, but it's what the boss wanted. Speaking of…" He gestured to Gusoyn. "She's waiting for you. Down the hall, take a left, and it's the third door that says 'Band Room'. At the risk of insult, can you read?"

Gusoyn said on her way out, "I can."

Oscar's voice droned on, "Great. Movin' on, we just added three more people to our caravan. Problem is, we're down to one truck, one bus, and about three-quarters of a tank of diesel between them. First thing we're gonna need is gas, and who knows how we're gonna find another…" The voice faded away as Gusoyn walked the halls.

**Okay, it's my bit again, with some help from Richard. It's been a long time since I made a part. I'm really doubting if I want to put it here in the first place. What happened between me and Dechala I feel was our thing, and I'm wondering if I should keep it that way. Either way, I made my way to the room and stood there for a few seconds with my hand on the knob.**

**I gently opened the door.**

**Get it? Because I'm entering the room of somebody who's been through some hard times recently and I'm referencing… oh nevermind. Richards says I tend to have a lot of… gallows humor. Wow, I'm really gonna ruin this thing's chances of getting published or we're gonna get an angry mob of people outside our door, especially how things are nowadays. **

**The room was dimly lit by sunlight coming through closed curtains. I saw Dechala lying in bed. She didn't react much when I walked through the door. I grabbed a folding chair and tried to get it to work, but failed for about half a minute. I only saw someone use one once before. She chuckled at this, so I took it as a good sign she wasn't a vegetable. Eventually, I said, "I haven't eaten in more than twelve hours, so let's get going."**

[Editor's note: The next conversation is ghost written by Richard. Gusoyn has some hesitations about putting this to text, but felt it would help her and others who were in similar situations.]

**Dechala responded bitterly, "And where we've gone in those past hours."**

**I sighed, "Yeah, I guess you deserve some explanations."**

"**That and some help. Boss, I can't get it off me."**

"**Get what off?"**

"**The blood. I've bathed until it irritated my skin, but I can't get it off my fur and skin. I've never seen it before. It won't come off."**

**My voice was almost as shaky as hers. "I… come on, we've hunted game before and there's always been plenty of guts around. You never had any trouble." **

"**No, I mean ours; our guts. I've never seen any of us die from more than old age. I've never seen the inside of somebody before. I've never lost it that bad before. I only started going mad after we met that man of yours. As soon as he came in, I started noticing things. I don't get along with anyone anymore. I don't like the other mamano; I don't even know if I like myself. I've been looking back and wondering if my entire life's been a fever dream and I've done all sorts of horrible things."**

"**Yeah, I think we've all had to do a little waking up recently. Look, I think it'd be best to put the past behind us."**

"**It's his fault, you know. I felt them. They were after him. They wanted him so much I wanted him too." **

"**Yeah, I knew you were more sensitive to energy than the rest of us."**

"**You knew?"**

**I nodded.**

"**Then why didn't you help me? The moment I would start using magic they'd pick on me until there'd be nothing left! Oh, and then you just up and decided to leave us! You left us! You left me, and now I really don't have anything left! Nothing but a handful of serfs, a husband, and a bunch of corpses north of here!"**

**With every word, I lowered my head a little more. Eventually, I said, "What happened wasn't any of our fault. It was going to happen, and there wasn't anything we could do about it."**

"**It would've been much nicer if you hadn't just left a massive hole where you'd been! I can't lead; I don't know how, but suddenly everyone's looking at me! Ever thought about what I wanted? Ever wondered why I'd disappear for a while every now and then? No, because you were too busy being the 'boss of the pack' to notice! Oh wait, you did notice, but didn't do anything about it when I could've used some help, and that makes it twice as bad! You ignored me. You ignored all of us, dumped everything on me, and followed your stupid instincts. You're just as bad as those voices in my head yesterday!"**

**I responded, "If you want to hear me say it, then here it is. I am sorry. I am sorry for doing all of the things you just said. But, things have changed. I've changed. Believe me, I remember when we came last in that competition and were exiled. We all stuck together, formed a bond, and swore revenge on the authority of Lescate. No idea if they're still here, but I haven't heard anything about a teleported city. I've left some destruction and burned bridges in my wake, but I had to do this. I've got some regrets and I'm sorry I ended up hurting you, but I wouldn't have it any other way."**

**We both digested this for a while. Dechala calmed down and said, "So, are you back, for good this time? You aren't gonna leave again are you? Because I… we all need a good boss again. I can't keep doing this."**

**I said, "We'll see what the others say, but I want to stick with the rest of you. You guys are the few mamano and humans that aren't trying to kill/rape all of us. I thought we were doing fine just the three of us, but we've really stumbled. Our recent cart was sabotaged."**

**She blushed. "That was actually us. I believed if we broke your horseless carriage, you'd come to us. I was really trying to send out my energy, but I don't think it got through all the interference."**

**I smiled and said, "I know. I ought to burn this place down with you in it."**

"**You know that wouldn't do a thing to me. That being said, the humans here certainly have come up with some amazing pieces of artifice. Shame they break so easily."**

"**Some more than others. You sound better, though. You… feeling like getting up?"**

**She sighed, "No, I'm very tired and I think I need a little more time. You can go if you want, but leave the door open. Tell Oscar I'm fine."**

"**I'll do that." I left the room. **

Soon after Gusoyn left, Autriel tapped me on the shoulder. She had a look of urgency on her face. 'Honey, I have to excuse myself for a minute."

I instinctively grimaced a little. "Really? 'Honey'? Man, I'm just not that sappy. It feels… gross."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll warm to it in time. Either way, I must go."

"Fine. I'll let you know if anything important is said."

"Wonderful." She then got out of her chair and flung herself through the glass window headfirst. We could already hear her running away before the glass even finished falling on the floor.

Oscar stared out the broken window for a few seconds, then looked at me. "Is she gonna be okay?"

I shrugged. "Probably. It was an emergency of some sort."

"If she just wanted to take a dump, the bathroom's down the hall."

"She's the dramatic type."

He threw up his hands. "Fuck it. Let's just get on with it."

He said, "Now that you're up to speed on our operations, let's get to the point. Our only real goal was to follow and hopefully meet up with you. Now that this is gone, we're going to need to find another one. You're planning on heading back to the east coast states; where you're from. That's fine and all, but we're going to need something more than that."

I clasped my hands together and put them toward my face. I inhaled and said, "I've actually been thinking about that. From what I've gathered, these mamano are used to late-medieval technologies and ideas. They're far from home and they're stuck here. They're also not really keen on organizing, and a lot of them seem absolutely batshit insane. They've got nobody supporting them and they're not even supporting themselves."

Oscar leaned back with his arms crossed and stayed silent, but attentive.

I continued, "I don't know how close you were to the battle, but I'm sure you heard of it."

He said, "I was there, same as you."

"Right. After that experience, I can only think one thing: That shit can't happen again. Now, that's a big statement. Humanity's view of mamano is pretty low right now, and neither side is really working to help that image. Therefore, if we want to change the situation, we're going to have to do it ourselves. We seem to be the only ones capable, and I think we have a moral obligation to try."

Oscar grunted. "So, what are you suggestin'? A big ol' advertisement campaign?"

I continued, "Humanity very easily fights a one-dimensional and easily recognizable enemy: zombies, nazis, aliens, nazi zombies, all that sort of stuff. What we need to do is show everyone we are complex, thoughtful, and most importantly, governable."

Oscar asked, "Referrin' to yourself as one of them, I see. I thought they had a government or leader, or something back at their home. Even then, how do you think we can do that? Not all of (actually, most) of them are pretty crazy and aren't gonna go along with this."

I replied, "First, just because you're on top of a clusterfuck doesn't mean you're leading it. Second, we don't need to unite all of them. All we need to do is change humanity's perception. They might hate me right now, but if we twist the narrative around, my actions might seem like someone oppressed and just trying to be free.(Which I was) We need them to realize they aren't just fighting mindless hordes of drones. They're fighting multidimensional sentient beings and show them that, for the first time, there's someone else out there who can observe and enjoy the beauty of the universe with us. We need to let them know that we're not alone anymore and ending that would be one of the worst mistakes we've ever made as a species. I... wow…"

"Are you cryin'?"

Obviously worked up, I said, "No, I've just got a piece of dust in my eye. The three of us have gone by ourselves and it's been working for a while, but it won't anymore. The whole situation's bigger than us now. We can't just make a run for it by ourselves. I really do feel that we need to cluster together and we can't just wait and hope somebody else does. What I think we should do is start an ever-growing caravan. You know, legitimize and make ourselves something organized and recognizable; something memorable. We need…" I pounded my fist on the table "to nationalize."

"That's… a pretty tall order. It's gonna have to be more than a Facebook group. You suggestin' we just keep piling on people and vehicles until we can't be ignored?"

"Yeah. We'll make sure we look like an organized group that can be engaged in diplomacy. I guess we'll need a leader, or at least a spokesperson to push to the public."

"Monster girl grassroots campaign. I love it. And yeah, we're gonna need to decide on a leader. Any ideas?"

"Gusoyn's pretty good. I mean, she led a group before, so she's got some experience. We'll have to ask her."

"What about you? You're the only one of us that people know anything about."

"Don't they still think I'm still to blame for that one town getting sacked?"

"You were talking about twistin' that around anyway. Plus, it'd probably be a lot easier for people to hear one of us humans do the talkin'."

I'm not saying the other hellhounds at the table were stupid, but they were all kind of there for obligatory reasons as the original crew(and effectively nobles of our newly-founded little nation). They mostly stayed silent for the conversation and tried their best to understand what the two humans were talking about. Again, nothing against them. Their species just hadn't been through the same history we had.

Cut to me asking Gusoyn when she returned if she wanted to be leader.

"No."

"Fuck. What about… advisor?"

"Sure."

Eventually, the others left the room and Autriel returned (through the window again instead of the front door like a normal person). It was just the three of us together, and we all unspokenly decided to sit on the floor and talk amongst ourselves. I filled in the other two on the plan.

"Look, we've got friends now. We're not alone anymore. I really think these guys are good and I think Oscar's a good guy to stick with. We got to talking and… we're gonna do our best to make sure what happened doesn't happen again. We're gonna survive this, and not just that, make a world where you'll thrive or cut a chunk out where you can. We're gonna see if we can organize, actually start a dialogue, and maybe get people to accept you guys for who you are(the right way) or die trying. I make no promises other than I'll spend the rest of my life on this if I have to. If you feel any doubts about this, or you need something, let me know."

Autriel quietly said, "You… would do this for us? I doubt we deserve-"

I cut her off. "Yes you do. You can't convince me otherwise. Look, I was waiting for you and you really weren't waiting for me. We've been through hell and heaven these past few days. Let me tell you something, and I think I'm ready. You two are the only people outside my family that have made my happy. You're the ones I want to marry, damn tradition. I doubt you'll tell me no, but I really couldn't bear it if you went. I enjoy waking up to both of your faces and I can't fathom not doing it now. I'll see what we can set up, if you want anything at all. I really don't care about ceremony as long as I know I won't be alone anymore."

Gusoyn made a few choking noises, then said, "Pffft. Sure. You already knew anyway. I don't know much about human traditions, but white really isn't my color." Autriel shuddered and said, "Yes. Absolutely, and you mentioned if I wanted something. Then, I want... I want a hug. I haven't had one in a decade. I know it sounds childish and beneath me, but please?"

"Sure. Come here. Gusoyn, you want some, too?"

"All of this sappy stuff just makes me gag."

"Aw come on. Me neither, but just go along with it."

"Fine."

Big ol' sappy group hug. I have to agree with Gusoyn on this part, but I feel it was something we all needed. After a few minutes, Autriel began humming something. I didn't recognize the tune, even as she increased in volume. Gusoyn seemed to recognize and followed along. Eventually, they both broke away and stood up as I watched dumbfounded. They then simultaneously broke into song, looking at each other and swaying, also pretending they had a drink in their hand. I know there was magical translation and all that, but I had no idea what they were saying. The song was in another language I'd never heard before, yet I innately knew the words were infused with pure joy. Down the hall, I heard another voice join in. Despite not knowing the words, the song sounded ancient and undeniably human, like a sea shanty. Eventually, I found myself swaying to the tune. Eventually, a few other faint voices from around the church joined in and resonated with one another. Gusoyn led at top volume, and damn if she couldn't carry a tune.

Later, I learned the song actually was a human sea shanty older than some nations back in their world that had gotten popular among the mamano. It told the story of a dread pirate who was famous for sailing with only one ship, until he married a woman who was more ruthless than he was, then sailed with two ships. I thought it was very appropriate.


	11. Interlude

This was the end of a very dramatic period of turmoil within myself. Here was the point where I started to stop running. I still had many questions; some of which I would ask, and others I would either answer myself or intentionally leave alone. In this case, I felt that probing too much might ruin the magic. Best to leave that for the academics. What I needed was to simply accept a good thing that had suddenly and unexpectedly come my way.

I mean yeah, the past few days had been pretty shit, but consider the big picture here. Consider the human state as I'd observed it before everything hit the fan. I doubt it's just me, but that psychic hum-buzz that I felt before the battle was… uncomfortably familiar. It was more of a collective scream, the likes of which I could only imagine, but knew exactly what it was when magically manifested. That was because I knew I'd already been feeling it before mamano even stepped a toe on earth.

Humanity is a gifted, but ultimately lonely race. Being the only thing capable of truly observing and philosophizing itself and it's surroundings is like being a ruler without anybody to appreciate their authority. If you're inclined otherwise, then ask yourself:

Why do we pretend?

Why do we create and sing songs, not just to communicate, but simply because we enjoy it?

Why do we stay up later than is healthy writing terrible fanfiction?

Why do we wish for the absurd?

Why do we come up with mythical creatures, such as dragons and hellhounds?

Why do we desire to change the world around us into our ideal image?

Why do we burn thousands of megawatt hours screaming into the stars for "neighbors" that may be thousands of lightyears away? Simply for the satisfaction?

All we could do was scream at each other. Until now, we did so because there was nobody else. Sure, there were hints. I've seen dogs dream. I couldn't tell if that was a hint of possibility, or just made it worse that they were so close, but didn't even know it. Maybe in the future we'll learn how to make our own species that we can welcome to the world. I guess a pessimist would think that misery loves company. Maybe they're right, and all we needed was somebody to complain to. On the opposite end of the spectrum, maybe we wanted somebody to share our creations with, the same way a person sheepishly shares their shitty fanfiction with a love interest.

In the modern era with exponentially-increasing communication, this is much easier to observe than in past times. Scroll back through the literature, the media, the postings, and the ghost hunters reruns; back before all of this happened. Behind it all is a hint of a plea, almost like a footnote written in barely legible ink. I think we all wanted to put down our suitcases, our narcotics, our laptops, and our utility bills, and really see something we couldn't explain. All we wanted was a little magic.

But, let's say it came. Let's say it walked right in the door without any sense of warning. It would be like living alone for years, only for someone to come in unannounced and suddenly take genuine interest in whatever it was you were doing. In almost all countries, that's trespassing, but maybe it's a trespassing we were crossing our fingers for? If that happened, would we accept it? I know I didn't, at first. After all this time, why now? It made no sense, and because we were so used to things that made sense, humanity and I lived in denial for a short period of time. I eventually came to accept, but everybody else was a bit slower. That's just how humanity is, though. The more of us there are, the dumber we get.

I ended up making a gamble and treated Gusoyn and Autriel like people. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, and that could've gotten me killed, but it didn't. As a collective, humanity panicked a little, but I really don't blame us. I probably would've done the same if I wasn't such a dumbass. I'm sure all of those dead folks on both sides would probably disagree with me, but lessons that really stick around a long time are the ones that involved a lot of people suffering and dying as a consequence. I'm not saying it was necessary, but at this point, the gravity of that day's events hadn't quite hit humanity collectively yet. It would soon.

For now, let this chunk of text here serve as a divider; a divider that separates someone running from fate to someone trying to change their fate.


	12. The End of a Cause

"So... you're back."

"Yes, I had some issues to deal with, most of them my own making. Got a little sidetracked… Got a little lost."

"So what made you come back? We're not exactly the most welcoming group. Last time wasn't bad, but most humans don't come back after that sort of experience."

"Well, I realized I was the only one who's ever been able to interview your family, especially your husband. That was something I really should've…"

"Cashed in on?"

"No, that's not the word I was looking for."

"Sorry, I can be cynical. I'm just not usually keen on being recorded."

"And I really appreciate you taking the time to do this."

"Well then, let's get it over with, Mr. McAuslan."

[==========================================]

It was a dark and stormy night. Rain pelted my sedan as I sat in the darkness inside the car while checking my directional notes. GPS tracking was nonexistent, despite not being in the boonies. Unsurprising, since the same happened the last time I was here. I had my camera, my notes, and my wits. That was about it. It wasn't like I could've brought something to defend myself, just in case. All three of them(and to be honest, probably their kids, too) had me beat physically, and half of them could probably smell a gun a mile away. Not that I was qualified to carry one of those things in the first place. I'm not that kind of gung-ho reporter. Then again, they didn't attack or enslave me the first time I came. However, all good journalists knew to never assume; what was left of them, anyway.

The whole neighborhood was eerie, yet strangely inviting. It was almost like hearing about a seance performed by some people in college who believed themselves to be witches. It was tempting out of sheer curiosity and crossed fingers that something interesting might happen, except the lines had been blurred with this recent generation and witches very well may be a thing. Still, I felt watched. I was an outsider, and for now, I'd been permitted entry into this place.

I looked out my passenger window and noticed only the front porch and one downstairs window was illuminated. I'd only been here once, but it was a vivid memory. Even in the dark, I knew this was the right place. I opened the car door and strode toward the front door. The wind and rain were almost sideways, and almost blew me onto the porch. Now sheltered from the rain, I removed my poncho and knocked on the front door.

I heard a click, and then the door opened. Unlike last time, I was greeted by one of his… wives? I suppose she was. She seemed like someone out of a fantasy, but was presented as uncomfortably real. Her black skin contrasted her judgemental amber eyes. A pair of fuzzy ears protruded out of the top of her head. Her forearms and lower legs were covered in a black fur, coming to an end with clawed digits. They were still fingers, just more hair and pointy bits.

Speaking of pointy, she greeted me saying, "Evening." As she opened her mouth, I noted a set of larger-than-usual canines. Oh, and her eyebrows were on fire, but that strangely came last in my size-up. She appeared to be sizing me up as well.

I replied, "Hi. I don't know if you remember me."

She said blankly, "I remember you." She then glanced to the storm behind me and said, "Quite the squall that blew up."

"Yes, it took me by surprise. Good thing I keep a raincoat in my car."

"Very good."

I eventually asked, "May I come in?"

She mulled that over for a second, then said, "Sure. Drink?"

I hung my raincoat on the hook and replied, "No thanks."

The hallway opened up into an average living room. I took a seat in one of the chairs faced away from the television. The mamano spread out on the couch with one leg on it and the other on the floor. Her right arm was on the arm of the couch and the other rested on the back. She immediately projected an aura of calm and casuality. After we performed the introductory exchange at the beginning of this interview, I switched on the camera and it formally began.

I asked, "Where's uh…. where's everyone else?"

"They had to go out for a bit, but we knew you'd be here sometime around now, so Autriel and I played rock-paper-scissors."

"Oh, so Mr. Richard is gone? It's just you?"

"Yes."

I shifted in my seat. "Oh."

"Why so tense? It's just me."

"Well, I…"

Her voice took on an inquisitive tone. "Oh, you're worried that the human is gone. It's just you and me now. You're afraid because there's no one here to rein me in. No leash and collar."

"Of course not. Well, I mean… I got your play on words, by the way."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you comparing me to a dog?"

Backtrack. "No, but I assumed you made the-"

She raised a hand. "Don't worry. I made that on purpose. I don't take myself that seriously. Even though Autriel's all, "Gusoyn, have a sense of pride!" and everything. I understand this may be your first time face to face with one of us. I don't pay attention to the news, but you're one of the only reporters who's taken the effort to understand a mamano family. Magic-wielding demi-humans from another world arrive, and they all strangely decide to only speak of human women."

I nervously chuckled. "Humans are a funny bunch."

"Gotta agree with you there. Do you have any questions for me?"

"I suppose I do. So… what do you think of human civilization?"

She exhaled. "That's a really big thing to upack. Give me something more specific."

"Well… how about communication?"

"Okay. People's ability to talk to each other is huge now. I can't even… well I can't wrap my head around it. It's got it's negatives and positives. Like, one of my cousins' mate was a carpenter. He was really good at making cabinets."

"Right."

"Hellhounds are more collective, so we tend to stick together, in something similar to a village. I knew everybody in the village, and everybody knew me. Everybody else knew the cabinet guy. He was the cabinet guy and he was reputable. If he did a bad job, everybody'd know it within a week. Nowadays, any madman can sell a cabinet on places like Gumtree."

"Good point."

"On the other hand, it's very handy to learn stuff, if you know how to use it right. For example, Autriel learned about her legless cousins over in Asia. She's got a theory that mamano species have been distributed based upon the local culture. She thinks it's all about how humans perceive us."

"What do you think?"

"I don't. I leave that sort of stuff to her."

"Ah. So, what's family life like?"

"I enjoy it. It's sort of the thing I've always wanted, but didn't think it'd end up this way. It was a rough ride getting here, either way."

"I must ask, who's parents are the boy's?"

"Oh, Aurelio's adopted. He knows this, but it's not bugged him at all. We've been open about it since the beginning."

"How would you describe how he and his sister's interact with others and each other?"

"Well, you could always ask him when he gets back, but I guess we could get into that."

[:TRANSITION:]

The following is a hypothetical scenario to better help the reader understand the situation; a piece of fanfiction, if you will.

A twelve-year-old boy sat on his throne. It was actually a varnished mahogany chair lifted from a condemned furniture store, but the authority of whomever sat in it was universally recognized as absolute inside and outside the room it inhabited, which was a respectably-sized treehouse. The room's appearance didn't look very much like Hollywood's interpretation of a throne room, but everyone inside knew it was one. The walls may have been plywood and the floor shag carpet, but the outside of the building was insulated with scrap cardboard and then camoflaged. They weren't barbarians. An open window on the eastern wall let the winter afternoon sun in and provided some warmth. A whiteboard with some doodles took up half of the opposite wall. This was where they all planned their more elaborate schemes that required more than two steps. A "no smoking" sign was mounted opposite of the doorway, to signify that any fire in this wooden box in a tree would be disastrous. Open flame of any kind, except for the hellhounds' uncontrollable eyefire, was strictly banned.

Aurelio surveyed his kingdom, and found his subject count to be around twelve. They were all hanging around in the house, doing various things next to the space heater or the more "thermally inclined" members of The Den, as everyone in the neighborhood referred to it. Many were just talking, mostly of the latest episode of some trendy show that Aurelio paid little attention to. There was also an intense rock, paper, scissors game going on in the corner over a chocolate bar. A boombox sat in the windowsill, playing tunes while one of his sisters practiced her rapping skill.

Aurelio stroked his chin, pretending to be a philosopher king. On his right was one of the few girls outside of his family he respected and considered his friend. Her name was Merida, was the same age as he was, really knew how to get stuff done. Her physical appearance started with a pastel green skin color, a pair of horns on her forehead, half a foot of height on everyone else, and a refusal to wear shoes. She had a scar under her left eye, which he wished he had because that looked really cool. What was even cooler was that she never said how she got it, even when asked. His current theory was that she fought off some bully who had a knife. She had a good build, and it supported that idea. Despite her tomboyish appearance and short hair, one of the conditions of her joining was to be able to play with her barbies in The Den, while snacking on onions(her favorite). Aurelio accepted. A small amount of damage to the kingdom's coolness factor was worth the trustworthy member and right-hand man. She was currently sitting on the floor and talking to herself as G.I. Joe and Barbie(wearing custom-made fatigues) were prowling through the jungles of Vietnam, hunting communists. This was nothing new. What Aurelio never understood was how Barbie could use magic and why they had to get married at the end, every single time. He hoped puberty would help explain things for him. Barbie did look funny with an M16, though.

The person on his left was there after quite a bit of controversy. Aurelio knew that balance was a good thing, so he needed to combine some brains with Merida's brawn. While G-mom's kids were more brawny, his sisters under A-mom were known for being sharp, if a little full of themselves. He attempted to get his sister, Kreia, to serve as left-hand advisor, but there was an uproar of having people in the same family in leadership positions. Instead, his siblings served effectively as the group's not-so-secret police. On his left was a boy who he also respected. He had a buzz cut and always wore some kind of sunglasses, unless he was wandering about at night. He was also blazingly smart, to the point where Aurelio thought he could usurp him if he really tried, but was more comfortable as second from the top. When it came to planning, Aurelio would get the big picture and dream it up. After that, his second would make it happen. Truth be told, Aurelio had difficulty remembering his name because it was Japanese. He nervously called him Buzz the first few times because of the hair, and it wasn't disputed. Buzz was the only person in the kingdom who had a nickname. Aurelio also personally related to Buzz, and the feeling was mutual. Both of them were the eldest and only male child in their family. While Aurelio was adopted, Buzz was the only child of a single father, before his father remarried to an elf.

Aurelio still felt for Kreia. She was his sister, after all. He created a new position of Bookkeeper for her to occupy. While not technically an officer position, it came with it's own desk and bookcase. Kreia kept a log of the group's exploits, monitored authority patrols, and managed the library with the ferocity of her own personal hoard. She would allow books to be donated or borrowed, but not bringing the book was an invitation to suffering. She knew where everyone lived and was a dangerous shot with a pellet rifle. That being said, the library contained various tomes of wisdom, such as guides to making paper airplanes, chemistry books with all of the "parental guidance suggested" pages tabbed, and Beowulf, edited by Kreia herself to make it even more awesome.

Most of the people here were in middle school, with some in older elementary. The younger kids were usually the siblings of older members who tagged along. Rarely all of Aurelio's siblings were present. Today, Kreia and Hevestuli were there. People came and went, but the headcount remained seven on average. With five more here today, there was plenty for a meeting. He signalled to his announcer on the right that he had something to say.

Barbie finished murdering the filthy Viet Cong soldier, declared G.I. Joe to be her first and only love, and walked off with him into the sunrise. Back in reality, Merida rose and yelled "Listen up!" The game of Rock Paper Scissors, now twenty-eight rounds in, ended abruptly.

A motley and multicolored crew of individuals expectantly turned to look at Aurelio. He looked back, waiting for the ringing in his ears to subside. About a third of them were human; children of the few families that hadn't moved out when the mamano moved in. Half of the rest were hellhounds, offspring of his G-Mom's pack when they moved into the abandoned houses. Those after that were from families that slowly coalesced when word spread that the neighborhood was a mamano settlement. Those mamano species were the type whose habitat were forests, or at least that's what the biologists who came by occasionally said. Speaking of, Aurelio's temporary tinnitus subsided and he began.

"Kreia's been on the lookout, and noticed some more things spying on us. Anybody know why?"

There was some mumbling, but nothing positive. Aurelio looked to Buzz. He shrugged silently. That was the end of that. Aurelio wished he had some kind of spy. He sort of did, but his sister Andrea was the only one who could even attempt illusion magic. Even then, her illusions had a tendency to attack the mind, rather than simply trick it. The police weren't exactly a threat, but they had a tendency to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and they were rarely understanding. He never got what the problem was about going into someone else's yard without asking first. Aurelio looked out the open window and said, "Toss it in, Helen."

There was no response. Aurelio leaned toward the window and yelled, "Hoot!"

The tree branches rustled, and a white quadcopter was tossed into the room by a swift claw. It landed with a clatter on the floor as the last of it's propellers snapped. Everyone stared at it. Aurelio grabbed and silently inspected it. The entire thing was covered in scratch marks and the battery compartment had been ripped out. The camera was intact, and that was the most telling part.

"While Helen was flying last night, she saw a drone flying toward the neighborhood and grabbed it."

Someone piped up, "Did it see anything?"

Aurelio responded, "Nah. Helen got it before it got inside, but that's the… uh… third?"

Buzz interrupted, "Second."

"-second time this month they've sent one of these."

A mantis in the back asked, "Who keeps sending these?"

Aurelio shrugged, "I dunno. Police, the CIA, those dudes in tuxedos and sunglasses, the freemasons..."

The mantis replied, "Freemasons aren't real."

"Yeah they are. I read about them."

"No they're not."

"Yes they are."

This derailed the conversation for a few minutes, until his sister Hevestuli said, "At least the drones are loud as hell. Otherwise they'd take pictures of us and sell 'em to weird people for money."

Kreia replied from behind her desk, "Language."

This garnered a sneer and brief growl from the hellhound. Aurelio said, "She's right, but we've gotta… we've gotta get 'em back somehow."

Again, the mantis said, "I tracked a suspicious man the other day. He had his phone out and pointed it at everything."

"What happened?"

"I stalked him for a bit, then jumped out of the bushes and knocked the phone out of his hands. Then I did the hissing and clicking thing you guys don't like. He ran off scared."

"Did you take his phone?"

"Yes, but… sort of in two pieces. I accidentally speared it. Even if I didn't, we wouldn't know his passcode anyway."

"Kreia here can unlock phones… like… fifty percent of the time with magic."

The dragon made a smug grin that confidently stated that there were no secrets with her. However, she asked, "So, what do you think we should do, brother?"

Only A-mom's kids called him "brother". It annoyed him, but no amount of bribery, threats, or pleading could stop them. Regardless he said, "I actually don't know. I was hoping we could come together and think of something."

Everyone did, but the only coherent suggestion was "overthrow the government", unanimously decided by the hellhounds. As usual, they were the opposite of docile. Eventually, somebody asked, "Hey Aurelio, isn't that reporter guy coming tomorrow? I thought your family didn't like news people."

"Not usually, but he's cool. Why?"

"He's a… he's a reporter person. Aren't they supposed to know things? Y'know, dig up shady business?"

"I guess. I'll ask him when he comes. In the meantime, I'll ask A-mom to put down some magic wards and stuff like that. She's pretty good at it. I'll get back to everybody on this, but this is gonna be our new Cause."

There was some mumbling in the crowd. The word "Cause" was one that carried a lot of weight among the members of The Den. Causes were long campaigns that usually involved everyone in the gang and were more than simply pastry theft or petty harassment. That's why, to everyone, the word Cause was capitalised, to the point where teachers frequently scratched their head as to why their students would constantly write it that way. Last time a Cause came to a close, it'd involved a geologist, several hundred dollars worth of garden gnomes, and a nasty letter from the EPA.

Still, everyone seemed excited and in good spirits. Now that Aurelio had concluded, they returned to talking to each other, comparing theories on who was spying on them. Aurelio also noted that some of them would occasionally glance back at him. Specifically, only the mamano were doing this. He asked Kreia for the official club logbook and a pencil. She handed both to him. He began doodling in it to, A: Annoy Kreia, and B: Pretend he was doing something important while he watched the mamano girls glance back at him.

This started happening around last year, and more mamano began doing this, except for his siblings. He'd be lying if he said it didn't unnerve him. He'd have to ask his dad about this later, or maybe the moms. Either way, he threw this in the steadily-increasing "growing up" pile.

[==========================]

Cut back to the living room of Aurelio's house. I sat alone in the presence of a still-enigmatic mamano, even after these years. The full video interview of her is available on my website. My questions were interrupted by a noise at the front door. Gusoyn said, "Looks like they're home."

As the door opened, I heard a male voice say, "Okay. Wait, do that outsi-"

I could hear brief chaos and several people sputtering as a light spray of water flew in all directions. There was a brief pause, then a few children at once said, "Sorry, dad." Raincoats were removed, and there were many sets of footsteps running upstairs. Two heavier sets made their way into the living room, where I was.

The first was an average man, an unusual sight in this area. There was always one in these types of families, but rarely more. He was followed by a draconic woman, her wings protruded from under her shoulder blades, still dripping a little. However, I noticed she spent no time toweling herself. That was explained by the tendrils of steam rolling off of her and her clothes. Evidently, she'd found a more efficient and hands-free method of drying off. Efficiency seemed to be her personality, what little I knew of her. Truth be told, I knew little of any of them, other than Richard. He turned to me and said, "Oh hey, good to see you again Mr…." He squinted.

I replied, "McAuslan." He continued, "McAuslan! Yes. Like the book. Sorry for not being present, but the rain caught us off guard. At least Gusoyn was here to let you in."

"Yes, she was very pleasant to talk with."

Then I felt something. Richard's expression didn't change, yet I suddenly felt probed. Something reached into my soul, looking for an emotion. At first, I reflexively shut out everything and flinched slightly. The probe became more aggressive in it's posture and search. It felt like that one time I was given a polygraph at a police station, but compressed into a split second. Instead of truth, however, this test was looking exclusively for fear. Was I afraid? I suppose I was at least a little. Another human entering the house and saving me from a one-on-one situation with an unpredictable was more relieving than I allowed myself to put on. I felt as if rapid-fire questions were being directly inserted into my mind, and I gave answers before I even knew what they were.

It stopped as soon as it started. Richard smiled at me and said, "I'm glad you had a good time." While I was dazed, he asked, "Since I went last time, how about you two?" Gusoyn looked at Richard, shrugged, and maintained her posture splayed over the couch arm. Autriel looked at me and said, "I suppose so. It could be enlightening."

Richard moved upstairs, the dragon found herself a leather chair, and I found myself in my previous situation, but this was getting out of hand. Now there were two of them. The intimidation factor had subsequently doubled. Neither of them were in any way small people. The dragon stared at me with her amber eyes. After a long period of silence, she said expectantly, "I'm assuming you have questions for us? Or perhaps we could turn things on their head and ask you questions first. That would certainly be an interesting twist."

Finally recovered, I said, "Sure. Ask away."

Autriel said, "Excellent. Did you do anything before this occupation?"

"Yes, I was a paranormal investigator. I did that for a few years, before moving on to journalism."

The dragon surprisingly flinched slightly. I had a minor panic attack, wondering if this would strike her ire. She replied, "Ah, ghosts. The spirits here are much different on Earth. I'm still getting used to them myself. Their elusiveness and unpredictability make them… unnerving."

"How so?"

"Well, the ones back home were far more open and were more bent on…"

Gusoyn interrupted, "Sucking your dick."

"Unfortunately accurate. At least you could see them coming."

Gusoyn chucked, "Heh. Coming."

The look of sheer disappointment from Autriel was beyond words. I suddenly remembered my entire education in journalism and attempted to regain control of this conversation. "I've heard it was a tumultuous time getting here. Are there any times you thought you weren't going to make it?"

Simultaneously, they both said, "Yes.", then looked at each other surprisedly.

"When?"

Autriel said, "That… that's actually very difficult to speak of. We both had a fairly sheltered beginning, so fear is something we had to come to terms with very quickly."

"What got you through it?"

Gusoyn said, "Lack of choice. We persevered or… it would've been bad."

"I heard there was an attempt to found a mamano-based country inside this one."

Autriel replied, "There was one. It didn't end the way we imagined it at the start, but I think it went well. Besides, I've dealt with an ethno-state before. I hated that one, and it felt wrong making another one. Of course, I didn't recognize it immediately."

"Ah. Was Charlottesville your last attempt?"

"Oh, no. We'd figured that out beforehand. That event was the old order's last stand here."

"That would explain things. People are still talking about it to this day. Personally, I'd seen nothing like it. Nobody else has, but it's been some time since humanity's seen a siege of that scale."

Autriel continued, "It was organized as well. The first time the mamano had the element of surprise, the second time was traumatizing. In the final, both sides were prepared. Humans had their armor and artifice. Mamano had magic and physical superiority. As you know, both Richard and I are more sensitive to spiritual energy, and both of us can still feel it, even out here."

"Feel what?"

"The echo. Battlefields or any emotional events spread out their echoes and can be heard, if you listen for them. Sometimes you can tell the outcomes of them without even being there."

"What does this echo say?"

"It says a lot, but it's very difficult to put into something coherent. The fall of old aristocracy, the final loss of a sense of superiority, the last cry of help to an unresponsive god; much is in it. Even now, I'm still trying to study it, as it gets fainter with the passage of time. It's replaced with a newer and fresher background, but that background still retains the memories of the old and has kept many aspects of it. Does anything of what I'm saying make sense to you?"

"A little. I just don't see it."

"These are things even mundane people can sense. All it takes is perception. The sensitivity to the ebb and flow of spiritual energy just makes it easier. I think that's it. Gusoyn, have anything to add?"

Gusoyn awoke from a semi-stupor. "Nope. I appreciate what you pay attention to, but I only deal with people who personally affect me. Besides, what a person presents on the outside matters, most of the time. There's not enough time in the world to go digging for buried secrets inside people. The vast majority of them aren't worth the effort. That being said, there are a few people who are, but I can only count them on my hands."

Autriel added, "Speaking of watching people. We've spotted a few small… buzzing things with cameras attached to them trying to fly over this neighborhood. Naturally, we've destroyed them before they could enter, but we were hoping you'd know who keeps sending them our way. They're quite annoying."

"I have my theories, but for legal reasons, I'd like to turn off my camera before I say them. Any last words?"

Autriel sighed, "You guys should've listened to Peter Gabriel more. That man was a prophet."

Gusoyn made a raspberry.


End file.
